Operation Shanela has netted over 15 000 suspects around the country in its latest sting, said the South African Police Service (SAPS).
As part of a nationwide move to combat and prevent crime, 15 248 suspects were arrested for various crimes.
These crime-fighting activities included tracking operations, roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop and searches, as well as tracing of wanted suspects.
According to the police, 2 441 wanted suspects were arrested for various serious and violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, business and house robberies. Additionally, 170 suspects were arrested for murder with KwaZulu-Natal recording the highest figure (47), followed by Gauteng (34) and the Western Cape (32).
Police also arrested 106 suspects for attempted murder and 145 people for rape. A total 233 drug dealers were arrested, while 2 234 suspects were arrested for being in possession of drugs, with the highest arrests in the Western Cape (1 214).
The long arm of the law also caught up with 96 suspects, who were arrested for being in the illegal possession of firearms while 1 460 illegal foreign nationals were also arrested.
Additionally, 772 drivers were arrested for drunken driving, said the SAPS in a statement on Monday.
Under recoveries and confiscations, police registered the following successes:
• 115 firearms were confiscated in the past week
• 2 394 rounds of ammunition were also confiscated
• 81 hijacked and stolen vehicles were also recovered during this week’s operations.
Highlights of major takedowns and other successes include the following:
• Eastern Cape: On 23 June 2025, six-armed extortion suspects were shot and killed in a shootout with police on the R61 between Mthatha and Ngcobo.
• Northern Cape: Police seized illicit cigarettes worth R2.8 million in a storage facility at Groblershoop in Upington, on 23 June 2025
• KwaZulu-Natal: Police recovered drugs worth over R10 million and arrested a 37-year-old foreign national during an intelligence-led operation, on 25 June 2025
• Free State: Police arrested three suspects on charges of kidnapping and rescued a 19-year-old Kamogelo Baukudi in Wepener, on 27 June 2025
• Western Cape: Anti-Gang Unit arrested a 68-year-old man for unlawful possession of seven different calibre firearms and ammunition in Gulden Crescent, Cape Town, on 23 June 2025
• Limpopo: Police arrested a 40-year-old man for the gruesome murder of his 87-year-old mother after her body parts were found in plastic buckets in Sebora Village in the Mashashane area, on 28 June 2025.
• Last week alone, the SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Task Team rescued a 30-year-old man and arrested three kidnappers during an operation in Germiston. In a separate case, on 27 June 2025, Gauteng police rescued an 82-year-old Businessman and arrested five suspects aged between 25 and 31 years in Roodepoort.
“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.gov.za
