Operation Shanela nets over 14 000 suspects
STAFF REPORTER
Over 14 000 suspects have been arrested across the country under Operation Shanela this month.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) on Monday, 07 July said 14 790 suspects were arrested between 30 June and 06 July 2025.
“These arrests stem from police actions and crime-fighting activities including tracking operations, roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop and searches, as well as tracing of wanted suspects,” SAPS said.
The SAPS effected the following arrests across the country through Operation Shanela: · 2 365 wanted suspects arrested for various serious and violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, business and house robberies. · 174 suspects were arrested for murder, majority of these suspects were arrested in the Western Cape (39), followed by Gauteng (33) and KwaZulu-Natal (33). · 137 suspects were arrested for attempted murder. · 99 suspects were arrested for rape, with Gauteng leading (26 arrests). · 1 232 suspects were arrested for assault GBH. · 286 drug dealers were arrested. · 2 515 suspects were arrested for being in possession of drugs. The majority of these suspects were arrested in the Western Cape (1 392). · 64 suspects were arrested for being in the illegal possession of firearms. · Seven suspects were arrested for human trafficking. · 826 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The majority of the arrests were in Gauteng (229), followed by the Western Cape (195) and Mpumalanga (156).
Under recoveries and confiscations, police registered the following successes: · 106 firearms were confiscated. · 1 355 rounds of ammunition were confiscated. · 37 hijacked and stolen vehicles were recovered.
Highlights of major takedowns and other successes include the following: · Eastern Cape: Police arrested six suspects after a man was stabbed to death, and the same suspects stabbed an off-duty police officer in Jeffrey’s Bay. · Northern Cape: Operation Shanela II resulted in the arrest of 236 suspects for various serious and violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, business and house robberies. · Mpumalanga: On 5 July 2025, police arrested a 29-year-old Eswatini foreign national for dealing in dagga and seized dagga worth R1.1 million at the Waverley Port of Entry near Mayflower. · Limpopo: On 2 July 2025, police intercepted a Scania truck and arrested two foreign nationals, aged between 30 and 45 years, while attempting to smuggle crystal meth, dagga and codeine worth R2.6 million at the Groblersbrug Port of Entry. · Gauteng: On 4 July 2025, three suspected cash-in-transit robbers were fatally wounded in a shootout with police and other law enforcement agencies on the N3 highway road. Two stolen vehicles and two unlicensed firearms were seized. · KwaZulu-Natal: Two suspects were arrested, and the other two suspects were fatally shot following a foiled cash-in-transit robbery in Msinga. Police seized two unlicensed firearms, ammunition and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle on 3 July 2025.
“Police will continue with their operations by asserting the authority of the state to ensure the safety and security of all South Africans and visitors to the country,” the police said. – SAnews
