The deceased are suspected to be illegal miners operating in the area. Image: SAPS
SAPS
1Min
South Africa
Six suspected illegal miners found shot dead in Mpumalanga
Six suspected illegal miners have been found dead with gunshot wounds in the Mashobote area of Ngodwana, Mpumalanga, with police investigating a six-count murder case.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga has opened a murder investigation following the discovery of six bodies at a mountain in Mashobote on Saturday, 29 August 2026, at around 11am.
Police were alerted by a community member who reported seeing what appeared to be human bodies in the mountainous area. Members of the Illicit Mining Team were dispatched to the scene, where they discovered six bodies, all with gunshot wounds.
The deceased are suspected to be illegal miners operating in the area.
Police have yet to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the killings. However, preliminary investigations suggest that the incident may be linked to rivalry between illegal mining groups operating in the area.
Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise expressed concern over the discovery of six bodies in one location.
The investigation is continuing, and police are working to establish the identities of the deceased as well as the circumstances that led to their deaths.
