South African security forces on Tuesday arrested 217 people, most of them undocumented foreign nationals, during a major operation targeting illegal mining at a gold mine shaft west of Johannesburg.
The operation, involving Police, the military and private security, was conducted under Operation Prosper, launched by Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2026 to combat illegal mining and gang-related crime.
Those arrested included more than 100 undocumented migrants from Lesotho, as well as nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Firearms and ammunition were also seized.
The raid comes amid an intensified crackdown on undocumented migrants, with authorities seeking to curb illegal mining and organized crime as thousands of undocumented foreign nationals continue to leave the country in recent weeks.