Day: July 28, 2022

DURBAN – An operation was carried out on 27 and 28 July 2022 by the Stabilisation Team in Umlazi and surrounding areas. While conducting the operation, members received information about robbery suspects at T Section in Umlazi.

The vehicle fitting the description circulated, was spotted and upon noticing the police, the suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled. Inside the vehicle, police found 129 cellphones, 44 memory cards as well as cash. The total value of the recovered items is R100 000-00. A preliminary investigation conducted by police revealed that the items were stolen during a business robbery at V Section yesterday afternoon.

The team proceeded to V Section where a 26-year-old suspect was arrested after he allegedly robbed two women of their belongings. The suspect was charged for robbery. Another 39-year-old male was arrested at Adams Mission. He was found in possession of a pistol with 16 rounds of ammunition. The suspects will appear before the Umlazi Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 29 July 2022.

Source: South African Police Service

The City of Cape Town’s Tactical Response Unit (TRU), within the Safety and Security Directorate, responds to incidents of civil unrest. The team, along with 20 Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers, recently completed additional training presented by the South African Police Service and showed off their newly acquired skills.

‘The TRU is on the front line during unrest and public violence. They are often on the scene alongside other role players, but there are times when they are not only first on site but also the only responders.

‘They have just completed a gruelling crowd management course, which is the same training public order policing officers within the South African Police Service undergo. This will ensure stronger security, improved safety for all on scene and possibly save lives during incidents,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

In an additional workshop provided by SAPS, LEAP officers mastered the skills to better secure crime scenes they attend.

‘The aim of the workshop is to improve the quality of our case files when LEAP officers make arrests and to ensure better convictions in court. There have been cases of our officers arresting the same offenders, some while they’re out on bail for similar crimes. Equipped with these additional skills, these members will be able to preserve valuable evidence that may prove valuable in assisting our SAPS members in securing the required conviction.

‘There is a blatant disregard for the law and criminals are aware of the serious challenges in the criminal justice system. Our officers are often the first to arrive on scene and added to the training provided by SAPS on statement taking, we are looking to improve the quality of our case dockets that will hopefully reduce the effort needed by the investigating officer and result in those accused moving faster through the prosecution process. In this way we should be able to put criminals behind bars faster and prevent them from committing further destruction and despair on our society,’ added Alderman Smith.

The first training intervention saw the Metro Police TRU division undergo a workshop on First Responder training for Crowd Management, a workshop presented by SAPS Western Cape Human Resource Training, which covered various modules relating to various aspects of legislation, as well as techniques and tactical procedures that will now allow the members to better support the SAPS Public Order Policing units at such scenes.

In return the City will utilise its accredited Metro Police Training Academy as well as its accredited Fire Training Academy to provide SAPS members with training related to firefighting, high-angle rescue, first aid, health and safety training, as well as frontline communications.

‘This partnership agreement between the City of Cape Town and our South African Police Service of the Western Cape is a watershed moment and a monumental step forward for improving the service delivery within our municipality, both for our local SAPS members and for the Safety and Security directorate. I am extremely grateful for our local SAPS senior management team for accepting our offer and uniting with us in our common goal to protect and serve. This is a partnership we will cherish and will continue to build and improve as we continue forward,’ said Alderman Smith.

Western Cape Provincial Minister of Infrastructure, Minister Tertuis Simmers, said: ‘This initiative is yet another example of the possibilities that can be achieved when the collaboration of Police Services and Law Enforcement agencies are formulated within local and provincial spheres such as with the Safer Cities initiative. Where the deployment of resources is aligned with the scientific data, that will not only enable us to respond but essentially prevent crimes from happening. As the Minister of Infrastructure, I commend this initiative, with an adequately trained and bolstered TRU we will better secure and prevent costly damages to our property, that result from illegal invasions. In this current financial year 2022/23, illegal invasions have cost the taxpayers R39.9 million.’

Source: City Of Cape Town

WESTERN CAPE – Members attached to Operation Lockdown II arrested two suspects aged 19 and 24 for the possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition on Tuesday evening, 26 July 2022 at about 21:10, in Joe Nzinga Gqabi Street, Khayelitsha. The members were busy with search operations in the area when the premises was searched. A firearm without a serial number and ammunition were confiscated.

Once charged, the suspects will make their court appearance in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s court.

In an unrelated matter, members of the Anti-Economical Crime Task Team arrested two males aged 19 and 32 for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition when they searched a premises in NY48, Gugulethu on Wednesday afternoon at about 15:30. The members operationalized information of a firearm at the premises and during the search a pump action shotgun was confiscated.

The suspects will appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court once they have been charged.

Meanwhile members of the Economic Infrastructure Task Team arrested two adult males for the possession of copper cables on Wednesday afternoon in Elsies River. The members were busy with compliance inspections at scrap metal businesses when the suspects were found with 23 kilogram copper cables. The estimated street value of the cables is about R4000-00.

Once charged the suspects will appear in the Goodwood Magistrate’s court.

Source: South African Police Service

The City of Cape Town regrets to inform residents with green-lid recycling bins that the collections service will be suspended from 1 to 31 August.

The contract with the service provider (Wasteplan) was originally only intended to run until 30 June 2022, but had to be extended due to appeals against the award of the tender for 2022/23. Wasteplan had originally agreed to continue the service until 31 December 2022, but has now terminated the expanded contract.

The City has begun a process to appoint an interim replacement contractor until appeals against the original tender are resolved.

In the meantime, residents are requested to please store clean dry recyclables at their properties for the month of August, or make use of drop-off sites.

The drop-off facilities which may be used are:

• De Grendel Drop-off Facility

• Welgelegen Drop-off Facility

• Belhar Drop-off Facility

• Tygerdal Drop-off Facility

• Bellville Refuse Transfer Station

Residents are requested not to resort to dumping or mixing recycling with normal domestic refuse.

Source: City Of Cape Town

HARRISMITH – On 26 July 2022 a member of the Harrismith Detective was out on a tracing operation at Intabazwe near Harrismith when he met a 21-year-old complainant who opened a case of assault against a friend. The duo reportedly had a dispute over the weekend about his deceased uncle’s firearm. The complainant took the police to his uncle’s grave where he dug out a black plastic bag containing a firearm with 18 live rounds. He was immediately arrested and charged for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

In another incident the same day, at approximately 20:30, Phuthaditjhaba Tactical Response Team received information about a suspicious silver BMW with ND registration plate tavelling on the N5 between Bethlehem and Harrismith.

Information was operationalized and the vehicle was spotted. Members managed to pull over the vehicle for a stop and search. Following a thorough search, the firearm was found hidden underneath the carpet in the vehicle. The 37-year-old driver was arrested and charged with possession of unlicensed firearm.

Both suspects will appear before the Harrismith Magistrate’s court.

The Free State Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane applauded the members for their vigilance and swift action and further thanked community members for being the eyes and ears of the police.

Source: South African Police Service

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s Green Scorpions stand ready to work with the police to arrest the murderers of Timbavati’s head ranger Anton Mzimba, who was gunned down outside his home on Tuesday this week.

“I would like to pay a special tribute to Anton Mzimba whom I met a month ago during my recent visit to the Association of Private Nature Reserves on the western boundary of the Kruger National park.” said the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy.

“Anton dedicated his life to conservation and the promotion of sound relations between conservation authorities and communities living on the outskirts of protected areas. I take this opportunity to salute his personal courage and the commitment with which he tackled his responsibilities. I will also be sending my sincere condolences to his wife and young family who have been left bereft of their father and breadwinner through this heinous crime” said the Minister

Mr Mzimba had 24 years’ experience as a field ranger and was the winner of the Field Ranger of the Year award at the annual Rhino Awards in 2016. He was a key member of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Forum. His murder only a few days ahead of World Ranger Day on 31 July, highlights the dangers rangers face protecting our country’s wildlife on a daily basis.

“Recent trends in rhino poaching show a move away from the Kruger Park to private reserves and KwaZulu-Natal where the majority of rhinos have been killed this year. This makes it all the more important for national government to shift its focus to supporting provincial authorities and private reserves in the war on rhino poaching” said Minister Creecy

The June meeting in the Timbavati area aimed to cement earlier engagements through the Integrated Wildlife Zone initiative and the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Forum to form a united front to combat wildlife crime, and support rangers who are the frontline of anti-poaching efforts. At this meeting Mr Mzimba spoke passionately about the daily struggles rangers face in the ground battle he and fellow rangers are leading.

At the meeting, the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment explained our integrated approach in which ensures analysts from the Environmental Enforcement Fusion Centre, the Green Scorpions, the SAPS and the Hawks work together on focused investigations with the aim of disrupting criminal enterprises.

The number of successful arrests and prosecutions recorded over the past 6 months, can be attributed to the continued successful collaboration between the law enforcement agencies, customs and excise officials and the National Prosecuting Authority.

Partnerships between the public and private sector remain key to combating wildlife trafficking. In addition to work being undertaken within the seven Integrated Wildlife Zones, the partnership now includes with both the financial and transport sectors, and the transit and end user countries in Southeast Asia, especially with the People’s Republic of China, Malaysia and Vietnam.

“We urge all who are concerned about rhino poaching and the toll it is taking on our rangers to reach out to with concrete offers of help to the APNR management. Our duty now is to pick up Ranger Mzimba’s fallen spear and continue the battle in his name. There is no greater tribute we can pay to this man who made the supreme sacrifice for the conservation of our endangered species.” Said Minister Creecy.

Source: Government of South Africa

POLOKWANE – The South African Police Service members, Sergeant Monatse Mamabolo attached to Provincial Corporate Communication as well as Sergeant Mutale attached to Thohoyandou SAPS Social Crime Prevention were hosted by Thohoyandou Community Radio and Univen FM on Wednesday, 27 July 2022, in which they conducted live radio interviews as part of crime awareness campaigns. Both the radio stations are situated in Thohoyandou Policing area and the two members were hosted live at Thohoyandou Community Radio who shared the crime talk slot with Univen Radio.

Sergeant Mamabolo and Sergeant Mutele took the opportunity to sensitise and advise listeners about measures to take in order to combat the following issues:

* Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).

* Alcohol and drugs abuse.

* Domestic Violence.

* House Robberies.

* Teenage pregnancies.

Listeners, including university students and community members, were also advised to participate in other community-based structures like moral regeneration movement with special focus on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Traditional leaders and community representatives were encouraged to talk about gender-based violence and Domestic Violence at community meetings and gatherings.

The Officers further emphasised the importance for faith-based organisations, government organisations, NGOs, etc; to engage the people in discussions about the issues of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.

Members further advised community members to join Structures like neighbourhood watches, youth structures and Community Policing Forums. Through these structures which are governed by the SAPS Policies and Procedures one is able to meaningfully contribute in curbing crime and further broaden the reach between Police and the community.

Lastly, contacts details of the Community Service Centre, Thohoyandou Station Commander and District Commissioner Vhembe were shared with the listeners.

Source: South African Police Service