Operation Vala Umgodi in North West hired 900 cops, has cost R33m – parliament told

More than 900 police officers have been deployed as part of Operation Vala Umgodi in the North West at a cost of R33m from August 2024 to date.  

North West acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Patrick Asaneng told parliament's joint meeting of the portfolio committee on petroleum and mineral resources and portfolio committee on police on Tuesday that police spent R23m on deployment and more than R9,8m on overtime. 

The operation resulted in the arrest of 1,826 illegal miners – 1,128 from Mozambique, 473 from Zimbabwe, 197 from Lesotho, 26 from SA, and one each from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi.

A total of 93 bodies were retrieved from shaft 11 of the old Buffelsfontein mine. “When the mine rescue plan was started, there were allegations there were more than 300 bodies underground which could not be brought to the surface – [but] when the mine rescue plan came, they only brought up a few,” Asaneng said.

Only eight bodies had been positively identified and handed over to their families, he said. DNA samples had been taken from 84 corpses, with samples still to be obtained from two.

Asaneng said gold-bearing material seized from the illegal miners was valued at R46m and he police also seized gold worth R6m, and R492,340 in cash.“Underground there in the illegal mines, they were even operating shops and businesses,"” he said. 

“These illegal miners, when they go underground they work for their meals. They are told to bring gold-bearing material to qualify [for food]. So those who fell sick and could not produce, they were not getting food despite what they [the miners] were saying the police were starving these people.”

Asaneng also told MPs police were making progress in tracking down James Neo Tshoaeli, the alleged illegal mining kingpin also known as Tiger. “We have engaged with our counterparts in Lesotho, [and] we believe that soon positive results will come out of those investigations,” he said.

Police minister Senzo Mchunu, who was also at the briefing, said Tiger's escape portrayed the police “very badly” and that the officers accused of helping him escape may have been tempted to do so by money.

Four officers who were last seen with Tiger were fingered in the crime in Stilfontein at the time that rescue processes were under way.

WO Jack Motlhabya, 37, WO Menzi Shabalala, 38, Sgt Ntutuko Dladla, 40, and Sgt Samkelo Mbotho, 38 are out on bail. “I suppose they [the officers] were [seduced] by money ... but police have taken action against those identified and processes are on,” Mchunu said.

“It really painted us very, very badly. It was like pickpocketing a dead person ... because that was a crime scene and ... it is totally unacceptable, totally uncalled for and unheard of that you would have police officers doing what they did there. But investigations are under way and disciplinary processes are under way.”  

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