General Fannie Masemola, National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), expressed satisfaction with the integrated and cooperative law enforcement operations carried out across the country over the Easter weekend.
According to Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, SAPS National spokesperson, on Saturday afternoon, Gauteng police stopped a cash-in-transit theft.
According to Mathe, the interdisciplinary team was following up on intelligence-driven information when they encountered a group of armed suspects on John Voster Road in Centurion.
Mathe said that during the interception, two robbers were fatally shot by police, and three AK-47 automatic rifles were recovered.
‘’Still in Gauteng, the National Intervention Unit (NIU) responsible for investigating gang-related activities in Eldorado Park and surrounding communities arrested six drug dealers.’’
‘’This takes the total number of drug traffickers arrested in Eldorado Park to thirteen, following the arrest of seven more on Thursday in Extension 4, and the team visited several identified addresses where drugs such as crystal meth, tik, dagga, and mandrax and money were seized,’’ Mathe said.
She said that in Sebokeng, where nine CIT robbers were fatally wounded during a shootout with police, the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Team rescued two teenage boys after they were kidnapped in the south of Johannesburg, and three suspects have since been arrested.
‘’High density operations are intensifying throughout the country through heightened police visibility with a focus on seizing illegal firearms, drugs, and stolen motor vehicles.
‘’This heightened visibility is being realized through conducting roadblocks, patrols, search-and-seizure operations, disruptive operations, and strategically deploying resources in all provinces.
‘’By implementing a multidisciplinary approach, the SAPS goal was to ensure that all people in South Africa can enjoy their well-deserved Easter break in a safe and secure environment,’’ Mathe said.
She added that, as the SAPS had noted over previous holiday seasons, criminals seek to prey on people while they are relaxed and have dropped their guard. While communities enjoy themselves, they should still be aware of their surroundings and take steps to secure their loved ones and property.
‘’We continue to urge our communities to exercise discipline and restraint, and we call on all people to conduct themselves in an orderly manner, to abide by the rules of the road, and to refrain from drinking and driving,’’ said Masemola.
nonhlanhla.ndlovu@inl.co.za
The Star