Magagula Heights and Zonkizizwe have become dumping sites for kidnapped and hijacked victims.

This was revealed by community members of Magagula Heights during an Operation Shanela Community Imbizo led by the Ekurhuleni SAPS district commissioner, Major General Anna Sithole held at Magagula Heights, in Ekurhuleni on July 3.

The Operation Shanela comprised of the Community Imbizo, roadblock, and liquor compliance operation, stop and search operation.

The Community members in Magagula Heights mentioned that their area has become a den for thieves.

A community member of Magagula Heights, Solomon Raphiri addressed the police during the Imbizo,said hijacked and kidnapped victims are dumped in their area, including in the neighbouring area which is Zonkizizwe.

“I believe the criminals are taking advantage of the fact that our area is situated in the outskirts of Katlehong and Vosloorus townships, including the N3 highway, so they dump kidnapped and hijacked victims here.

“They know that those stranded people will also take time to access a police station, because we don’t have a police station in our area,” said Raphiri.

He added that he has assisted a lot of stranded victims who were dropped in the area.

“I believe the criminals have studied our place and they know that police are not visible in our area and they are capitalising on that.

“Police hardly patrol in our area and we have to travel a lengthy distance to access a police station which is located in Zonkizizwe,” Raphiri expressed.

Another community member of Magagula, Johannes Phakula reiterated that they have to travel a long distance to access a police station and urged the police to establish a satellite police station in the area.

“Besides the criminals dumping victims here in our area, there are lot of criminal activities that are also happening here and we find it difficult to get the services of the police.

“We plead with the police to be visible and patrol in our area,” said Phakula.

Another resident of Magagula, Siyabulela Magashalala said the police must do more to combat the taxi violence that’s affecting both the neighbouring areas which are Magagula Heights and Zonkizizwe.

“Innocent community members are being killed in the ongoing taxi war and today I want to findout from the police, what type of measures are they implementing to stop this ongoing taxi war?”

The Ekurhuleni SAPS district commissioner Major General Sithole responded by saying that she brought the Operation Shanela to the two problematic areas, Zonkizizwe and Magagula Heights, because she is aware of the criminal activities in the areas and wants to combat them.

“There are high rates of killings, hijackings, kidnappings, rapes, house robberies, domestic violence and assaults in the two areas and the operation is here to eradicate the criminal activities.

“The Operation Shanela will be brought to these areas on monthly basis until the criminal activities are completely wiped out. In the issue of the ongoing taxi violence the Provincial SAPS has responded by establishing an SAPS taxi violence task team which is monitoring the situation on daily basis and its working together with EMPD officers to stop the taxi war,” said Sithole.

She added that five suspects have already been arrested in connection of the ongoing taxi violence.

“Three guns that are believed to have been used in the ongoing taxi killings have been found by the police so far.

“We will make sure we deploy patrolling police vehicles in Magagula Heights and to large extent we are going to send a mobile police station to mitigate the issue of people having to travel long distances to certify their documents. Our men and women in blue must use any means to fight the criminal activities that are happening both areas.”

She mentioned that during a tracing Operation Shanela led by the detectives in the Ekurhuleni area, 188 suspects were arrested for various crimes.

“During the operation led by the detectives, 116 suspects were arrested for contact crimes, 26 for contact related crimes, 12 for property crimes, 28 for other serious crimes and 43 for gender based violence.

“In the other pre-operations, the SAPS crime intelligence members also arrested three suspects for dealing in drugs wherein crystal meth and mandrax were seized from the suspects,” Sithole shared.

She said the same alleged suspects were also found with 13 illegal ammunition.

“Two more suspects were arrested for dealing in dagga and a girsan firearm with 42 live ammunition was seized from one of the suspects after it was discovered that he doesn’t have a safe-storage for the gun. Both suspects were arrested in the Zonkizizwe area.

“During the initial Operation Shanela on July 3 at the Zonkizizwe area 14 illegal immigrants were nabbed, a suspect was arrested for dealing in liquor without a liquor trading licence, another one for dealing in drugs and 12 traffic fines to the value of R3500, 00 were issued during the roadblock,” Sithole concluded.