The South African Police Service (SAPS) has made significant strides in its crime-fighting efforts, arresting 15,505 suspects between Monday, 10 March 2025, and Sunday, 16 March 2025, as part of its high-density operations known as Operation Shanela.
The initiative includes tracking operations, roadblocks, high-visibility patrols, stop-and-search procedures, and the tracing of wanted suspects. These operations are led by the Provincial Commissioner in each province, ensuring a coordinated and effective effort in combating criminal activities.
During the past week, SAPS arrested 2,531 wanted suspects, marking an increase of 661 arrests compared to the previous week. Among those apprehended, 158 were taken into custody for murder, with the majority of arrests occurring in Gauteng. Additionally, 146 suspects were arrested for attempted murder, while 254 were detained for rape, including 95 in KwaZulu-Natal. The police also arrested 1,754 suspects for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) and 235 individuals for drug dealing, with the highest number of arrests in the Western Cape.
The crackdown on illegal drugs resulted in the arrest of 1,761 suspects for possession, with the Western Cape again recording the highest number at 758. Police also confiscated 130 firearms, including 97 handguns, 17 homemade firearms, nine rifles, and seven shotguns, alongside 3,002 rounds of ammunition. A total of 74 hijacked and stolen vehicles were recovered during the operations.
Operation Shanela also targeted illegal firearm possession, leading to 103 arrests, with the highest number recorded in KwaZulu-Natal. Authorities also apprehended 1,370 illegal foreign nationals and arrested 550 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol. Gauteng recorded the highest number of DUI arrests at 103, followed by Mpumalanga and the Western Cape, each with 94 arrests.
Several major takedowns highlighted the effectiveness of the operation. On 12 March 2025, the SAPS Border Policing High-Density Team arrested Nelson Simiao Massango, a convicted Mozambican fugitive who had escaped from Maputo Maximum Prison during unrest in December 2024. Massango, linked to multiple vehicle theft cases in Gauteng, was captured at a car hire dealership in Sandton.
In a significant breakthrough, Gauteng police uncovered an illicit alcohol manufacturing plant in Westonaria, Johannesburg, leading to the arrest of two Taiwanese nationals. Authorities discovered illicit alcohol valued at approximately R1 million, already packaged for distribution, along with chemicals used in production.
A shootout in Lenasia, Johannesburg, saw one suspect fatally shot, two injured, and two others arrested. This occurred when SAPS Tactical Response Unit and Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) intercepted a group of ten criminals planning an ATM bombing. The suspects were also wanted for multiple ATM bombings and other serious crimes across Gauteng and neighboring provinces.
Kidnapping cases were also successfully addressed. A multi-disciplinary team led by the Anti-Kidnapping Task Team rescued an Ethiopian businessman who had been kidnapped in Norwood, Johannesburg. The victim was found in a house in Kensington, where a shootout ensued, resulting in the death of one suspect and the arrest of five others. Police seized four firearms, including an AK pattern rifle, along with ammunition.
In a separate incident, SAPS rescued a 55-year-old Pakistani businessman and arrested four kidnappers, two South Africans and two Pakistani nationals, at different locations in Gauteng on 13 March 2025. An illegal firearm and a vehicle were also seized during this operation.
In the Eastern Cape, police apprehended six men on the N2 highway near Kinkelbos following the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old man during a house robbery in KwaMaqoma. The suspects were found in possession of an unlicensed firearm, ammunition, and a stolen cellphone.
In a recent interview with ProtectionWeb, Chairman of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, raised concern around the discrepancy between arrest numbers and successful convictions. Operation Shanela sees weekly arrests of 10,000 to 13,000 people, yet “we see little evidence of successful prosecutions.” He criticised the operation as “a high visibility but ineffective strategy” that overburdens detectives without addressing core criminal structures. “Mass arrests are meaningless if they don’t lead to solid convictions.”
The backlog in the judicial system and the inefficiencies in case handling contribute significantly to this issue, says Cameron. “It’s not just about making arrests. If the prosecution process is weak, then those arrests mean nothing. We need a criminal justice pipeline that ensures arrests lead to convictions and that criminals do not re-enter the system due to procedural failures.”
