Police arrest 13,105 suspects, recover 125 firearms in first week of 2025

As SAPS intensified crime-fighting initiatives, thousands of wanted criminals were arrested during Operation Shanela last week.

From December 30 to January 5 13,105 suspects were arrested and 125 illegal firearms recovered during the nationwide operation. 

Crime-fighting activities included tracking operations, roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop-and-searches and tracing wanted suspects. The operation was led by the nine provincial police commissioners. Altogether 1,743 wanted suspects were arrested. 

According to police spokesperson Lt-Col Vincent Mukhathi, the arrested suspects were wanted for serious and violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, business and house robberies.

About 142 suspects were arrested for murder, most of them in the Eastern Cape, 81 suspects were arrested for attempted murder and 241 for rape, most of them in KwaZulu-Natal (119).

About 1,646 suspects were arrested for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, while 473 alleged drug dealers were arrested and 1,337 for being in possession of drugs, most of them in the Western Cape. 

Altogether 126 suspects were arrested for being in possession of illegal firearms, most of them in KwaZulu-Natal, while 1,166 illegal foreigners were arrested, said Mukhathi.

At least 873 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence. 

Major takedowns and other successes

In Mpumalanga, police arrested two suspects who fatally shot two men sitting in a vehicle in Ermelo. After the shooting, the suspects fled the scene but were later arrested and face two counts of murder. 

A multidisciplinary team comprising the Sekhukhune task team, Operation Vala Umgodi members and private security rearrested the most wanted Zimbabwean fugitive, Lovemore Musoyi, 32, after he escaped from police custody. Musoyi faces more than 10 criminal cases including murder, attempted murder, armed robberies, house robberies, business robberies, kidnapping, assaults, stock theft and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The crimes occurred in Elandskraal, Motetema, Dennilton and Rakgoadi policing areas in Sekhukhune district.

The Gauteng counterfeit unit, Vispol, commercial crime unit, brand protectors and reservist seized counterfeit and illicit goods worth R627,290 in Midrand, Johannesburg.

In the Western Cape, members of the anti-gang unit arrested a 35-year-old man after they found him in possession of an AK-47 rifle and ammunition.

Police in the North West apprehended five suspects in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Lesego Klaas Makaku, 26, in Hartbeespoort Dam. According to police, the suspects dragged the victim out of a tavern to the street, where they allegedly beat him to death. The suspects were charged with kidnapping and murder. 

Police arrested 54 suspects for illegal mining, most of them in Mpumalanga, while a team deployed in the North West is still monitoring operations in Stilfontein.

A suspect was fatally shot in a shoot-out with police, while one was arrested after a house robbery in Barberton in Mpumalanga. The suspects held the family, including a nine-month-old baby, hostage and robbed them of an undisclosed amount of cash before they drove of with them with their Ford Ranger. 

“Police spotted the vehicle and the suspects fired at the police who also returned fire. A pistol with ammunition as well as a magazine were seized,” said Mukhathi.

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