An illegal mining kingpin, linked to the murders of 16 people who were shot at a tavern in Nomzamo, Orlando East in 2022 and 13 other murders, was shot dead over the weekend. The kingpin was shot and killed in Jabulani, Soweto during operation "Vala Mgodi" which targets illegal mining in the country.

Operation Vala Mgodi was established in December 2023 and is inclusive of SANDF members, the Department of Minerals and Energy and other law enforcement agencies to prevent and combat illicit mining activities in the country. The alleged kingpin was found with uncut diamonds worth R32 million. SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the team in Gauteng led by the National Intervention Unit (NIU) traced the sought after illicit mining kingpin, who is a Lesotho national, to Jabulani in Soweto over the weekend. "The deceased suspect has been linked to at least twenty-nine illegal mining related murders in Florida and Nomzamo in Soweto, where 16 people were killed at a local tavern," said Mathe, adding that the deceased was resisting arrest and pointed a firearm at the police before he was shot and killed.

Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola commended the progress of successful operations yielded through Vala Mgodi. "Operation Vala Mgodi currently operates in seven hotspot provinces which includes Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. Last week, the multidisciplinary teams in various provinces also registered notable successes which include a tracing operation in which 62 suspects in Limpopo and nine suspects in the Northern Cape were arrested for their role in illegal mining activities. In April, the same team seized R1 million in cash and a number of illicit mining equipment such as explosive devices and digging equipment from a house used by illegal miners in Carletonville. "