Cape Town – Police Minister Bheki Cele has provided an update on Operation Shanela, reporting that since its introduction in May 2023, over 500,000 suspects have been arrested for various crimes across South Africa.
Speaking to the media in Pretoria on Sunday regarding the successes of police counter operations, Cele said that law enforcement personnel are actively combating crime each week by conducting high-density operations in recognised high-crime zones nationwide under Operation Shanela.
“Over 500 000 suspected criminals have been removed from society and brought before the courts to answer for their alleged crimes,” Cele said.
“Officers in all nine provinces, led by the respective Provincial Commissioners, have conducted almost 70 000 (69 468) high density crime prevention and combating operations in the last 11 months.”
#sapsHQ [READ]
Talking points for police minister General Bheki Cele at the press conference of police take down successes of police counter operations.https://t.co/r47Yg8BzH4 pic.twitter.com/ReVEVcA8Tf— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) April 7, 2024
Notable arrests include over 8,500 suspected rapists, 6,000 murder suspects, and thousands more for offences like attempted murder, assault, immigration violations, and drunk driving.
Cele said that during operation ‘Vala umgodi’, a collaborative effort among multiple government departments including the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, 3,298 illegal miners were apprehended.
Additionally, he reported that 1,028 suspects involved in hijackings were arrested within the past 11 months. Furthermore, 3,670 individuals face charges related to business burglary, and an additional 10,743 suspects were arrested for housebreaking and entering.
Despite efforts to arrest suspects peacefully, over 150 suspects were killed by police, including those engaged in armed confrontations like the fatal shooting of 19 cash-in-transit suspects.
The minister said that kidnappings remain a concern, with 62 suspects arrested for ransom kidnappings and significant progress made against criminal syndicates involved in theft, fraud, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
Assets worth R6.2 million were seized, drug labs shut down, and narcotics valued at over R506 million confiscated, he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
