Mpumalanga

But standing in for Ramaphosa in a speech at South Africa's Freedom Day celebration in the eastern province of Mpumalanga, Mantashe criticised South African citizens who have called on Trump to "punish" the country.

More than 150 illegal miners have been rescued from an abandoned mine in South Africa's eastern Mpumalanga province.

Gen Masemola has described Mpumalanga as a hotspot for such activities.

A police spokesperson confirmed the rescue operation at the Mpumalanga mine is now complete, though investigations will continue before the site is shut down.

In the eastern province of Mpumalanga, a farmer and his security guard were arrested in August for the alleged murder of two men at a farm in Laersdrift near the small town of Middleburg.