By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
More than 19 illegal and undocumented suspects were arrested for trespassing and contravention of the Immigration Act. The suspects were arrested by the multi-disciplinary operation team during Operation Vala Umgodi.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said the team consists of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Department of Home Affairs Immigration Services in the Frances Baard District, was patrolling the Greenpoint and Colville mining dumps and arrested seven undocumented foreign nationals from Nigeria, Malawi, Ethiopia and 1 South African citizen for illegal mining.
“The focus of the operations was to trace illegal and undocumented immigrants that are suspected to be conducting illegal mining in the Northern Cape. In the Koiingnas mining area in Namakwa District, the team executed a cordon and search operation and detained 11 Zimbabwean and Lesotho nationals for trespassing and contravention of the Immigration Act.
“The suspects were detained in order to be processed and verified by the immigration officials before being formally charged and presented to court for deportation. The police collaborative patrol operations continue in hotspot areas in the Frances Baard and Namakwa Districts,” he said.
The Guardian 