Pretoria – In a nation-wide show of force, police pounced on suspected drug dens, shebeens, shops and arrested several people on Thursday as they took the action known as Operation Fiela to all nine provinces of the country.
Law enforcement officials also arrested several motorists and impounded scores of unroadworthy vehicles that were stopped in a series of road blocks in Pretoria.
The operation comes on the day National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega announced that joint security forces at the O R Tambo International Airport have arrested 142 suspects and secured sentencing of criminals of over 1 400 years in total in the last 18 months.
Thursday’s operation involved thousands of police, including metro police and immigration officials who combed the streets of major cities and towns across the country. This followed a decision to roll out Operation Fiela to all parts of South Africa following its success in three provinces.
The operation had up until now been mainly applied in Gauteng, Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal where it was used to rid the provinces of illegal weapons, drug dens, prostitution rings and other illegal activities.
Since its inception, a number of people have been arrested for illicit drugs, illegal firearms, assault common and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, among other offences.
More than 200 police involved
On Thursday, the operation involved more than 200 police officers who targeted known crime infested areas and the so-called hotspots in the city.
In Marabastaad, a downtown area known to harbor criminals, and notorious with the drug called nyaope, police used their stop and search powers and recovered dangerous weapons and drugs.
Several people were also arrested after they could not produce their legal documentation to be in the country.
Police spokesperson Colonel Amelia Bryer, who was involved in the road blocks conducted in Pretoria, said at least 113 vehicles and 164 persons were searched.
In one incident, a motorist was arrested for driving without a driver’s licence in an unlicensed vehicle.
In Villieria, seven business premises were inspected and one residential area. There, police issued R6 200 worth of fines to business persons for violating bylaws.
Curious passers-by stopped to investigate what was happening as police vehicles stormed the targeted areas.
Operation Fiela applauded
Many applauded the police’s actions, saying the plan was to keep communities safe.
“All law-abiding citizens should stand up and support this. We want more police visibility and more operations of this nature. We are tired of being controlled by criminals,” said shop owner Muhamad Rezair.
Sunnyside resident Akhona Mthimkhulu said the operation should be ongoing and urged the police to “keep the criminals on their toes”.
“It doesn’t help if they come once in six months because criminals ruin our lives every single day and this operation should be ongoing or else it will become ineffective,” she said.
The operation’s results for Thursday in other provinces were expected to be released later today.
Police say Operation Fiela will be intensified and expanded in the coming weeks and months to tackle acts of criminality and act decisively and swiftly to restore law and order.
In a previous similar operation in KwaZulu-Natal, joint operations between police, SANDF, Department of Home Affairs and Metro Police resulted in more than 12 000 suspects being arrested throughout the province.
In Cape Town, police officers reportedly arrested 21 suspects and seized an assortment of drugs valued at several thousand rand during an Operation Fiela raid in Bishop Lavis and Bonteheuwel, late in May. – SAnews.gov.za
