Cape Town — Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, addressed the media in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) to discuss the SAPS safer festive season operations that have been in place since 11 October 2024.
In a statement, Mchunu revealed that Deputy Police Ministers, Cassel Mathale and Polly Boshielo were in Mpumalanga and Limpopo respectively to conduct an oversight of operations there,
He said the purpose of the inspections was to tighten police’s grip on serious and violent crimes, with the number one goal to prevent and combat all forms of criminality.
“While South Africans are enjoying the festivities of the Christmas holiday, our men and women in blue remain resolute in their fight against all forms of criminality, making it difficult for criminals to sleep at night. Police are indeed out in their numbers intensifying the fight against crime. Through heightened police visibility, criminals feel the heat,” Mchunu said.
Since the start of the safer operations process, Mchunu announced that 38 966 suspects were arrested for various crimes, including murder, rape, assault and possession of illegal firearms.
11 199 of those were locked up for contact crimes, while 915 firearms have been seized. In total, 1 997 dangerous weapons were seized.
Mchunu also stressed the importance of addressing crimes against women and children, especially in KZN.
“Crimes against women and children remain an area of concern in this province. In the past week alone a number of young women have lost their lives at the hands of their partners.”
#PoliceMinistry [KZN SAFER FESTIVE SEASON INSPECTION TOUR] The Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, today visits the KwaZulu-Natal Province starting at Mtunizi Plaza, to assess the operational readiness of #SaferFestiveSeason Operations in the Province. #SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal… pic.twitter.com/OfgsibWTB1
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) December 23, 2024
“The most gruesome and barbaric act which was caught on camera and posted on various social media platforms, was the killing of 25-year-old Nontobeko Cele in Umzinto,” he said.
He revealed that another young woman, an 18-year-old from Harding, was allegedly beaten and strangled by her 18-year-old boyfriend, who is in police custody. Another incident occurred in Umkomaas where a woman and her three-year-old were killed y the father of the child before he hung himself, just like Sibusiso Lawrence.
“It is a major concern to us that since the first of October 2024, 110 women were murdered in this province. 64 of them were shot and killed, 24 were stabbed to death, 15 were beaten to death, 4 suffered blunt force trauma and 3 others were burned to death. Of concern is that the majority of these women were killed by people known to them,” he said.
He said the police ministry was committed to bringing the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) to a permanent end and said it was important for communities to play an active role in helping police make this a reality.
He encouraged families and friends to be aware of any abuse that takes place behind doors and in homes and to work with police to bring it to an end. He revealed that between April 2023 and September 2024, more than 29 000 GBVF suspects were arrested, with 559 receiving life sentences.
“As the police ministry, we will continue to work tirelessly in investigating such incidents to ensure perpetrators of GBVF face the full might of the law. With this said, let’s work together to keep the women and children of this country safe. All men and women in this country – have a role to play to stop these ongoing attacks and killings.,” he said.
He praised South Africans for their support of the police and their help in bringing down criminals. He said the support shown to police officers was encouraging.
“We therefore appreciate and commend the overwhelming support of the work of the police in this province by all South Africans and hope that this support and appreciation will be replicated in other provinces as well,” he concluded.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
