Fifty-five (55) undocumented persons; 27 females and 28 males were arrested for trespassing on a mine area and contravention of Immigration Act, on Sunday, the 02nd February 2025, in the Free State.
The police said two children aged 8 and 13, were taken to a place of safety by members of Social Welfare.
A separate team of the police recovered contraband items; battery cells, instant porridge, canned beans, soya mince, cough syrup, drill bits and mercury left behind by illegal underground miners.
During the raid, a 30-year-old male was arrested for possession of Mandrax and a Caracal 9mm Parabellum pistol with 50 live rounds of ammunition.
The suspects were taken for profiling at Vierfontein Police Station.
Elsewhere, a 39-year-old male was found busy with illegal mining activity near Hamlet Road, Bedelia.
Gold bearing material weighing about 18.08 kilograms, a shovel, pick axe and steel plate were confiscated from the man.
A case docket of possession of suspected gold bearing material; processing equipment with additional charge of Contravention of Immigration Act was opened at the Welkom Police Station.