Gauteng police arrest 1,154 suspects in weekend Operation Shanela II crackdown

Gauteng police arrested 1,154 suspects during Operation Shanela II, including suspects linked to serious crimes, immigration offences, drug possession and drunk driving.

Gauteng police arrested more than 1,100 suspects during a province-wide weekend crime crackdown, with hundreds taken into custody for serious crimes, drunk driving and immigration offences.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said 1,154 suspects were arrested during Operation Shanela II, which brought together police and other law-enforcement agencies in high-density operations across Gauteng.

Police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said 110 motorists were arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, while 160 undocumented foreign nationals were arrested for contravening the Immigration Act.

A major portion of the arrests came from detective operations, with police tracking down 786 suspects wanted in connection with various serious offences.

Of those, 162 were arrested for crimes against women and children, according to police.

The operation also included targeted roadblocks, searches and compliance inspections as authorities intensified enforcement in crime hotspots.

“The operation was conducted through a multidisciplinary approach involving SAPS, the Department of Home Affairs, traffic law-enforcement agencies, Community Policing Forums (CPFs), Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens and private security companies,” Sibeko said.

Gauteng Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana led one of the high-density operations in the Atteridgeville and Pretoria West policing precincts in Tshwane.

At a roadblock in Pretoria West, police arrested 67 people for allegedly being in the country illegally.

Another 32 motorists were arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, while 18 suspects were arrested for possession of drugs.

Police also arrested one person for allegedly employing an undocumented foreign national and another for allegedly harbouring undocumented people.

A security officer was arrested for allegedly possessing a firearm without a valid licence or permit.

Authorities also targeted liquor outlets and traffic violations during the operation.

Police closed 10 liquor outlets for alleged non-compliance with the Liquor Act, while traffic officials issued fines for various offences.

Sibeko said Operation Shanela II “demonstrates the commitment of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and its multidisciplinary law-enforcement partners to combat criminality, ensure public safety and enforce compliance with the law in communities across Gauteng”.

Police said similar crime-prevention operations would continue across the province as part of efforts to reduce crime and maintain law and order.