The Krugersdorp and Kagiso Police, in cooperation with the Provincial District Police Department of Gauteng, conducted numerous major operations throughout Kagiso, Krugersdorp and the surrounding areas on Thursday, 15 August.
Watch video and interview of the operation here:
“These ones [businesses] in town in Krugersdorp, we put them in the pocket as a surprise. We hid this place. The people thought that the major operations were in Kagiso, not knowing that there are other places within Krugersdorp which we are busy hitting,” noted Major General Fred Kekana, District Commissioner of the West Rand Police.
This operation forms part of the larger provincial O Kae Molao programme, through which police departments across Gauteng work together to conduct surprise raids of certain areas, homes and business premises. Various roadblocks were also set up throughout and around towns where licences, registrations and vehicle conditions were checked. Drivers and passengers were also searched for illegal contraband. Suspects were arrested throughout the day and other perpetrators received fines.
The operation started as early as 5am and continued well into the afternoon. Various police groups/ teams were dispatched with strict and well-planned operational orders throughout Gauteng. These police teams moved to multiple locations through the day to conduct raids and searches.
“Thus far, with this operation, we have managed to arrest 532 wanted suspects in the whole of Gauteng, for serious offences, said Lieutenant General Elias Mawela. “And then, in the second phase, that is being conducted now, the District Commissioner will identify hot spots in this area. We have conducted some raids at the Mandela Hostel where six firearms were found and six suspects were arrested.”
The News went from location to location as the police conducted their operations, and by mid-afternoon, Captain Solomon Sibiya, Communications Officer for the Kagiso Police, had asked the News to go to a specific shop in Krugersdorp West. Here the police were in the process of checking car components in what was referred to as an illegal chop shop.
“This place is a chop shop, it’s a second-hand dealer. Thus far we’ve established that at least some of the engines, whose engine numbers have been tampered with, were stolen, and there is also an engine that is positively linked to a case in Brooklyn. We have now arrested the owner for possession of stolen property.”
It was also mentioned by Captain Sibiya and Brigadier Mashadi Selepi, the Visible Policing Commander for the West Rand District, that the owner was an immigrant from Nigeria, but at the time of the writing of this story, they were not sure whether he was in the country legally.
Operations are set to continue, and an update to this story will be posted as soon as the Police release their post-operation information.
