Cape Town – National Police Minister Bheki Cele yesterday called a media briefing to update the media on the crime situation currently plaguing the Western Cape.
While he said the province recorded the lowest murder percentage increase (0.2%) in the latest crime statistics released last month, extreme violence and brutality stalked the province.
The province recorded an increase in contact crimes between April and June.
Contact crimes include murder, attempted murder, sexual offences and all cases of assault and robbery.
Nyanga police station is ranked first in the Top 30 contact crime stations in South Africa.
“So it is clear that there are glimmers of hope in this province and equally pockets of concern that are receiving immediate intervention.
“This media briefing also comes at a time when the SAPS marks National Police Safety Month, where the organisation and the nation observe the sacrifices officers in blue make, each day to serve and protect the nation,” Cele said.
Last week, Sergeant Sthembiso Mnatwana, 39, stationed at Cape Town Central police station was gunned down in front of his home in Samora Machel after returning home from a 12-hour shift.
“The sergeant is one of 83 people killed in the Western Cape since September 5 to 11.
“This is a total of 83 people killed in the Western Cape province, in seven days.
“The majority of the murders took place in and around the Cape Town Metropole and Cape flats.
“Arguments, robberies, and gang violence remain the top causative factors for these deaths,” Cele said.
He said the police service was focused on preventing, combating and investigating crimes.
“As the Police Ministry, we are encouraged that the SAPS in the Western Cape under the leadership of (Police Commissioner) Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, continue to respond to crimes and make arrests and recover stolen goods,” Cele said.
From April 1 until September 11, the courts across the province have handed down 21 life sentences to perpetrators convicted of murder and rape.
He said 118 people were convicted of serious crimes. These included 27 for murder, 84 for rape, two for attempted murder, and two for robbery with aggravating circumstances, while the remainder were convicted on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault GBH.
According to Cele, firearms are three times more likely the weapon of choice in all reported murders in the country.
He said the Western Cape had the third highest gun-related murders in South Africa.
“So it is on this score that the removal of 33 firearms and 538 rounds of ammunition in a week, from the streets of the Cape flats by the police, is welcomed.
“This includes three home-made firearms, 29 revolvers/pistols, and one rifle,” Cele said.
He also told Patekile he wanted to see sustained and tougher police action against the proliferation of firearms.
He said the Anti-Economical Task Teams were in place and focusing on tracking and tracing undocumented foreigners and the Economic Infrastructure Task Team was tackling crimes involving non-ferrous metals.
“These are just some of the police operations currently in the Top 10 stations of Kraaifontein, Delft, Samora Machel, Lwandle, Gugulethu, Harare, Lingelethu, Phillipi East, Mfuleni and Nyanga
“This is over and above the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) members and additional 200 SAPS officers deployed from other provinces, saturating the identified high crime hot spots.
“Cumulative deployment of thousands of officers of the SAPS, supported by other forces from the city, metro, and province each week conduct crime combating and prevention operations.
“Such operations include community awareness operations, roadblocks, vehicle control points, stop and searches, tracing wanted suspects as well as foot patrols.
“Maximum deployment of officers is seen on weekends and is guided by threat analysis and crime prevention patterns.
“The SAPS’s Operation Restore – which consists of integrated operations to the Top 10 police stations also continues to obstruct extortion rackets and related crimes,” Cele said.
He added that 16 people were arrested for their alleged roles in the multiple shootings in Khayelitsha and Gugulethu. The suspects include three men, Thabo Dyasi, Sivuyile Matoti, and Lundi Zweni, alleged to have shot and killed eight people during a cleansing ceremony in Gugulethu in June last year.
Cele said police officers in the province have pounced on carjacking syndicates and recovered vehicles worth millions of rand.
Trucks hijacked over the past five months, believed to be worth over R40 million have also been seized.
“Intelligence operations have led police in this province, to uncover a truck-jacking syndicate targeting delivery trucks with a cash safe at the back.
“Their modus operandi meant the trucks were intercepted while stationary at a traffic light. The gang would gain entry, steal the cash inside the safe and dump the truck in a nearby community, where it is looted by residents for its cargo.
“Such incidents have been reported to the Hermanus, Bellville, Gugulethu, and Robertson policing areas.
“Two suspects have also been arrested for a spate of carjackings in the Mitchells Plein, Milnerton, and Bishop Lavis areas.
“The (culprits) targeted courier vehicles in the Milnerton and Table View areas. Victims were robbed at gunpoint and the vehicle would be driven away to another location,” Cele said.
Police have confiscated drugs such as crystal meth, cocaine, heroine as well as mandrax worth R33 million in recent months.
The Hawks have intercepted cocaine worth R400m en route to Cape Town from Gauteng.
The Western Cape has seen an increase in kidnappings and from March 1 until September, police are investigating 32 cases of kidnapping.
“It remains encouraging that the SAPS in the province continue to make inroads regarding kidnapping cases.
“A total of 15 kidnapping suspects have been arrested.
“This includes the court appearance of five suspects who appeared at the Wynberg Magistrate’s court on Monday.
“The five-member gang appeared on charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping and other charges related to the failed kidnapping of a businesswoman of Chinese nationality,” Cele said.
Touching on the ongoing corruption within the police service, Cele confirmed the arrest of 24 police officers between April and September of which 11 were on charges of corruption.
The others included charges of fraud, extortion, possession of drugs and defeating the ends of justice.
He said while the arrests were “painful” the police service needed to “clean house”.
The transport sector has been marred by violence, intimidation and acts of sabotage placing drivers' and passengers’ live at risk.
A total of 38 cases have been registered for investigation for attacks on Intercape, Golden Arrow, and Mavumisa buses, as well as taxis from August 1 to August 31.
Sixteen people have been arrested and charged with public violence and malicious damage to property in this regard.
At the weekend, local magistrate Romey Van Rooyen was found dead in her Muizenberg home, her car missing. The vehicle has since been found.
On Wednesday, Cele and Patekile visited Van Rooyen’s grieving family.
The matter will be investigated by the Hawks.
“It is during this visit that we assured the Van Rooyen family of our commitment as the Justice and Security Crime Prevention Cluster (JCPS) to find the killers.
“The Police Ministry and JCPS as a whole remain deeply concerned about the safety of members of the country’s judiciary.
“For this government, any attack on our judicial officers is an attack on the justice system and ultimately a direct attack on the state.
“It is on this score that threats of violence or acts of intimidation against court officials aren’t taken lightly by the SAPS and the Department of Justice.
“There have been increased threat assessments conducted on magistrates, prosecutors and judges working in the courts of the province,” Cele said.
The Hawks have arrested nine suspects for their involvement in police killings.
Cele lauded communities taking a stand against crime in their areas and working alongside police.
“Together, we will surely better squeeze the air and suffocate the growth of criminality.”
He also announced that the Police Ministry would be leading the first-ever Imbizo YamaDoda (men’s dialogue on gender-based violence) as part of its ongoing awareness programmes of the SAPS aimed at preventing the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide.
The dialogue will take place in Khayelitsha on September 26.