Johanesburg, Nov. 5, 2024 (Lusa) - More than 260 illegal miners, most of them Mozambican, have been arrested at a disused gold mine around 200 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg, South African police told Lusa on Tuesday.

‘There were 140 detainees this morning, but the total number of detainees at the end of the afternoon was 269, most of whom are Mozambican nationals, although I can't specify the exact number at the moment because they are being processed,’ explained the police spokesman in the North West province, Sabata Mokgwabone.

‘There is also a Malawian and two South Africans arrested today,’ he said.

The spokesman indicated that the illegal miners arrested also include nationals from Zimbabwe and the kingdom of Lesotho.

Since Sunday, the South African police have been carrying out a joint multidisciplinary operation with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) at a disused mine in the Klerksdorp district in South Africa's North West province.

According to the North West Province police spokesperson, at least 565 illegal miners were arrested last Sunday at the same site.

The illegal miners were forced to reappear from the decommissioned mining shaft after security forces cut off their food and water supply routes, forcing them to come up from underground where they had been for months, according to local authorities.

Sabata Mokgwabone emphasised to Lusa that the multidisciplinary security operation will continue at the site, anticipating further arrests.

The illegal foreign miners face deportation from South Africa to their country of origin after appearing in a local court, he emphasised.

CYH/ADB // ADB.

Lusa