By Zuko Komisa
Police officers were quite busy over the weekend with locating wanted people, setting up roadblocks, raiding establishments, and doing stops and searches.
In Gauteng, almost 2000 people were detained as a result of police efforts to combat crime.
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According to Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo of the South African Police Service (SAPS), 485 individuals were detained during the raids in Ekurhuleni, where Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, the provincial commissioner of the Gauteng police, oversaw the integrated Operation O Kae Molao.
“This operation included the roadblocks in Ivory Park on Saturday evening, 20 August 2022, where 32 suspects were arrested for being undocumented foreign nationals, 28 for driving while under the influence of alcohol, one for possession of an unlicensed firearm, three vehicles [were] impounded, three unlicensed shebeens [were] closed down and seven [were] arrested for dealing and possession of drugs.”
“Other suspects were arrested during the tracing of wanted suspects who committed offences that include rape, murder, assault, housebreaking and theft, armed robbery, fraud, sexual assault and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm,” said Masondo.
#sapsGP Over two thousand people were arrested as police were hard at work tracing for wanted suspects, conducting roadblocks, raiding taverns and performing stop and searches, among other crime prevention initiatives this past weekend. NPhttps://t.co/8H9Zm82d4w pic.twitter.com/PRUJAuXC3D
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) August 22, 2022
In addition, Masondo said, 184 people were detained in the West Rand District, 770 in the Sedibeng District, 435 in Tshwane, and 770 in the Johannesburg District.
Many of those arrested are anticipated to start appearing before different Magistrates’ Courts on Monday, while some of the accused were released after paying fines for admission of guilt.
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