SAPS Operation Shanela 2 targets crime in Alexandra
The police efforts to crack down on crime through Operation Shanela led to the discovery of unlicensed ammunition and a stolen vehicle in Alexandra.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) launched Operation Shanela 2 in Alexandra, cracking down on crime in the area on July 31.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, who led the operation alongside other law enforcement officials, pointed to Alexandra’s increasing crime rate as the driving force behind the operation in Alex. He said the local police station’s crime profile reflects serious challenges, particularly with murder, attempted murder, and robbery.
During the operation, officers recovered a vehicle reported stolen in KZN in 2023. The vehicle was found parked on 12th Avenue.
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“We got information which led to this address, and that information was received by one of our senior officers,” said Mthombeni.
“The vehicle crime investigation unit confirmed that the vehicle was stolen in KZN in 2023. So, we can confirm that this vehicle is stolen,” he added. He said they went to the room of the suspect, who is in his 40s, and a subsequent search of the suspect’s residence uncovered a stash of ammunition, including rounds incompatible with his licensed firearm.
“We have done some searching in the room; we ultimately discovered that he does have a firearm license for a specific firearm category. That in itself means he can keep specific ammunition, but he has different kinds of ammunition,” Mthombeni added. He said the man will be charged with possession of unlicensed ammunition.
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The operation came on the back of Alexandra’s alarming crime statistics, which paint a grim picture about the level of violence residents are subjected to. Although Gauteng recorded a decrease in the number of reported violent crimes, with the exclusion of attempted murder, the SAPS’s latest quarterly report for January–March 2025 indicates that Alex is bucking the trend.
The number of reported cases of murder and attempted murder in Alexandra saw an increase. The stats also revealed an increase in the number of reported cases of common assault, common robbery and theft of motor vehicles, among others.
Operation Shanela in Alexandra, Mthombeni stated, was a police response to such trends.
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