Pretoria: Over 16,000 suspects have been arrested in recent Shanela II operations across the country, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said. Conducted between February 9 and 15 across the provinces, a total of 16,565 suspects were arrested. The police operations were conducted together with other law enforcement agencies.
According to South African Government News Agency, the suspects include those involved in serious crimes such as carjacking, armed robbery, murder, rape, sexual assault, drug dealing, and contravention of the Firearms Control Act. Moreover, police in Gauteng traced and arrested three suspects, aged between 24 and 30, following the hijacking and murder of a 23-year-old e-hailing driver in Pretoria West. The trio also face a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The nationwide operations demonstrate SAPS's continued commitment to intensifying crime prevention and enforcement beyond the festive season. Key arrests include 2,957 wanted suspects traced and arrested across the provinces, 171 suspects arrested for rape, 154 for murder, and 158 for attempted murder. Additionally, 1,657 suspects were arrested for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, while 72 were arrested for business and residential robberies.
Furthermore, 764 suspects were arrested for illegal dealing in liquor, and 716 motorists were arrested for driving while under the influence, with the majority arrested in Gauteng (222), followed by Mpumalanga (151) and KwaZulu-Natal (149). In addition, 1,507 illegal immigrants were arrested for contravening the Immigration Act.