SAPS surfs Cape Town’s crime wave with a string of key arrests

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has been regurgitated by the outcomes of the recent Crime Summit, it seems. In the last 24 hours, law enforcement officers made key arrests in different parts of the city.

This response comes at a time when scrutiny has been placed on the provincial law enforcement’s ability to crack down on increasing violence in Cape Town.

After mounting cries from fear-stricken communities, Police Minister announced that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be deployed to hotspot areas of the city.

However, it seems that the police have tightened their bootstraps and made strides in fighting crime because, since the launch of the SAPS Search and Seizure operation this past weekend, they have made a considerable number of arrests.

Cape Town SAPS nab 13 suspects in 24 hours

Law enforcement officials have been hard at work, cleaning up the streets of Cape Town. The recent results they have achieved is proof that the morale and interest in upholding justice is there.

These are the key arrests the SAPS made in the last 24 hours:

Milnerton, West Coast

On Tuesday afternoon, the police in Milnerton closed in on a warehouse located on Montague Drive. According to police spokesperson, Captain FC Van Wyk, this was part of the Flying Squad’s intelligence-driven operation.

The SAPS acted on tip-offs that there were suspects storing abalone at the premises.

“They found a Mercedes Sprinter bus and a Chevrolet LDV loaded with boxes of dried abalone. They also searched a second premises, also in the same area and found abalone in machines to be dried as well as fresh abalone,” Captain Van Wyk revealed.

The police managed to seize the following items:

• 19 032 dry abalone
• 5 064 wet abalone
• R179 680 in cash
• two vehicles (Mercedes Sprinter and Chevrolet LDV)

Four foreign nationals, aged between 45 and 56, were placed under arrest on charges related to the Living Marine Resources Act and are due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates Court.

Manenberg, Cape Flats

Eight suspects were arrested for a string of crimes in a recent SAPS operation that kicked off in Manenberg, one of the most notorious communities in South Africa.

The police, reacting to the recent spate of gang-related shootings that have claimed an innocent life and wounded a few others, stormed into Manenberg on Tuesday evening.

A total of eight suspects, aged between 16 and 42, were arrested and charged with attempted murder, murder, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

“The vigilant members acted upon the information about the shootings that occurred in the area over the past few days where a female victim was shot and fatally wounded due to a stray bullet and last night three boys aged between 10 and 16 were wounded during the rivalry between gangs,” Captain Van Wyk noted.

Browns Farm, Nyanga

A suspect, wanted for allegedly hijacking a vehicle on Monday, was caught by Nyanga’s Tactical Response Team only a day later. It is believed that the suspect was part of a group of armed men that accosted a victim and made it off with his Toyota Camry.

“The members conducted a further investigation and they spotted the vehicle in another street and arrested the suspect. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the suspect is wanted on 2018 Bellville housebreaking case,” Captain Van Wyk added.

The armed military has yet to be deployed into the targeted areas, which include Nyanga, Manenberg and Philippi. However, kudos to the SAPS for stepping up to the plate and making the SANDF’s job a lot easier.