Mpumalanga police say illegal military camp in operation for three months

JOHANNESBURG - Police have revealed that an illegal military training camp run by 95 Libyan nationals in Mpumalanga has been operating for at least three months.

On Friday,  a joint operation comprising of the South African Police Service (SAPS), ProvJoint, and the Home Affairs Department uncovered the underground military camp on a farm in White River, which was designated as a training ground.

The discovery saw the subsequent arrest of 95 Libyan nationals on Friday.

Their activities are now the subject of a police probe.

READ: Mpumalanga cops, intelligence net 95 Libyans allegedly running underground military camp

According to police, the Libyan nationals misrepresented themselves on their visa applications, claiming to be coming to the country for training to be security guards.

It is still unclear when they gained entry into South Africa, preliminary information has revealed that the camp has been operational for months.

"They were here from around May this year," said Mpumalanga Police Spokesperson, Donald Mdhluli.

Police have since appealed to the public to report any similar or related activities.