By President of the Junior Mining Council Fred Arendse 

If we are serious about combating illegal mining, the time to target its enablers is now. Otherwise, we risk celebrating arrests while the networks behind this criminal activity remain intact. That would be a shallow victory.

Operation Vala Umgodi has put boots on the ground and delivered encouraging results in terms of arrests. However, arrests alone cannot be the measure of success. The ultimate objective must be to bring illegal mining to an end, and that requires going beyond those found underground to dismantle the networks that finance, facilitate and profit from these activities.

Launched in December 2023, Operation Vala Umgodi brought together the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the Hawks and other government agencies to combat illegal mining and its associated criminal activities. This remains a necessary intervention, given the scale of the problem and the growing threat it poses to national security, communities and South Africa's mining industry.

The next phase must focus on following the money, exposing the enablers and dismantling the criminal networks behind illegal mining. SAPS, the Hawks and other relevant authorities must turn arrests into intelligence-led investigations, successful prosecutions and the disruption of the supply chains that sustain these operations.

South Africa cannot afford a fight that arrests the foot soldiers while those who finance, facilitate and profit from illegal mining remain untouched. The time has come to escalate the fight, target the enablers and dismantle the networks sustaining this criminal enterprise.

The South African Concise Oxford Dictionary defines combat as fighting, especially between armed forces. To combat something is also to take action to reduce or prevent something bad or undesirable. Considering the nature of these operations, where arrests often involve the seizure of firearms, ammunition and explosives, perhaps the word “combat” is an appropriate description of the mission.

However, combat must lead to victory. Otherwise, we risk becoming comfortable with the cycle of arrests while the problem continues to grow.

Recent reports of police arresting 92 suspected illegal miners during an operation in West Village, Krugersdorp, accompanied by the seizure of firearms, ammunition, explosives and equipment allegedly used in illegal mining, including phendukas and gas cylinders, do not come as a shock anymore. Yes, they add to the thousands of suspects arrested. But what else do they represent in the bigger scheme of things?

By July 2025, available reports indicated that more than 27,000 arrests had been made through the operation. This figure includes arrests for offences beyond illegal mining itself, and must therefore be understood in that context. Nevertheless, the scale of enforcement is significant. 

Operations have continued across several provinces, while Operation Prosper has added another layer to government's efforts to confront illegal mining and organised crime.

There are, however, important questions we must ask. With thousands of arrests behind us, what progress have investigations made in identifying those who finance, supply, organise and profit from illegal mining? How many convictions have we attained?  How many of the networks behind these activities have been dismantled? How many of those providing the equipment, facilitating access to abandoned mine shafts, purchasing illegally mined minerals or moving the proceeds have been brought to book?

These are questions worth asking because illegal mining does not operate in isolation. It requires access to equipment, supplies, transport, markets and money. In many instances, the people found underground are only one part of a much larger operation. If those who enable and profit from illegal mining remain untouched, there is little to prevent the activity from continuing, even when individual miners are arrested.

It is about time that the enablers of illegal mining are brought to book.

The consequences of illegal mining extend well beyond the mining industry. Reports of multimillion-rand infrastructure damage across South Africa are becoming increasingly concerning. Roads, bridges, stormwater systems, electricity infrastructure, water pipelines, sewer networks and other municipal assets face threats to their structural integrity. This damage places additional pressure on already constrained municipal budgets and threatens the safety and livelihoods of communities.

The introduction of Operation Prosper further demonstrates government's recognition that a coordinated response is required. Announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Address on 12 February 2026, Operation Prosper is a multidisciplinary intervention involving the SAPS and SANDF, targeting illegal mining alongside organised crime, gang violence and other violent criminal activities.

In August 2026, the President reported that Operation Prosper had resulted in 1,080 arrests, alongside the seizure of firearms, ammunition, explosives, gold and illegal mining equipment. These are important enforcement outcomes. 

Operation Vala Umgodi and Operation Prosper have different but complementary roles. The former is a dedicated, long-term initiative targeting illegal mining and its associated crimes, while the latter provides a broader response to organised and violent crime. Both must contribute towards a common objective: ensuring that illegal mining becomes increasingly difficult to organise, finance and sustain.

Those who finance operations, supply equipment, facilitate criminal activities, purchase illegally mined minerals or knowingly assist in moving the proceeds must face the consequences where evidence establishes their involvement. This requires effective intelligence gathering, financial investigations, inter-agency cooperation and successful prosecutions.

For the Junior Mining Council and the broader mining industry, the call is clear: the fight against illegal mining must go beyond the visible activity underground. We must also confront the systems that allow it to flourish.

The boots on the ground have demonstrated government's willingness to act. But to combat means to actively stop, oppose and prevent something. By that measure, we are not there yet. As long as illegal mining persists and the networks behind it remain intact, the fight remains unfinished.

Combat must lead to victory. Victory must mean dismantling the networks that sustain illegal mining, bringing its enablers to book and restoring the security of our communities, protecting our infrastructure and safeguarding the future of South Africa's mining industry.