More than 900 suspects arrested for various crimes in Gauteng

Police have arrested more than 900 suspects for various crimes, including murder, in Gauteng.

The Provincial Commissioner of the Police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, led law enforcement agencies as they embarked on the weekend Operation Shanela in Diepsloot

District Commissioners in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Sedibeng and West Rand conducted similar operations at their respective districts.

Arrests

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said the weekend operations yielded positive results.

“The operations resulted in the arrest of more than nine hundred suspects. Seven hundred and eighty-five of these suspects were arrested by the detectives who went tracing for suspects who have been on the run after committing serious and violent crimes that include armed robbery, murder, attempted murder, car hijacking, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, business robbery, and house robbery.”

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Masondo said that police officers also raided unlicensed liquor outlets, which are considered the generators of contact crime.

“A significant number of these outlets were closed down and liquor confiscated. Some of the suspects paid an admission of guilt fine, while others are expected to appear before various Magistrate Courts on Monday.”

Wanted CIT suspects

Meanwhile, two of South Africa’s most wanted cash-in-transit and murder suspects have been shot dead during a shootout with police in Boksburg, Gauteng, on Saturday afternoon.

Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, were recovered.

“Fortunately, no members of the Saps were harmed during the incident. The suspects are linked to cases in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provinces”

Police operations

Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni said the operation involved various police units, security companies and counterintelligence forces.

“Since the start of the year, 76 such incidents have been recorded nationwide, with 18 security guards tragically killed since January 2024.”

Mthombeni said operations had increasingly required advanced surveillance and intelligence-sharing to track potential suspects.

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