OPERATION SHANELA II CONTINUES TO SWEEP ACROSS THE COUNTRY: 17 087 SUSPECTS ARRESTED, 165 UNLICENSED FIREARMS SEIZED IN THE PAST WEEK
Pretoria, 18 August 2025; From the pulse of Gauteng’s urban sprawl to the quiet valleys of the Eastern Cape, a coordinated crime-fighting effort known as OPERATION SHANELA II continues to sweep across South Africa, re-affirming the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) response to crime.
In just seven days, from 11 to 17 August 2025, police collectively arrested 17,087 suspects that include 1 276 wanted individuals who were tracked down in different parts of the country.
SAPS continues to intensify its fight against gender-based violence and femicide. Just this week alone, police arrested 166 suspects for rape. Also, amongst those arrested is a traditional leader accused of raping a 17-year-old victim in KwaZulu-Natal.
Other key arrests include:
▶️ 128 murder suspects were arrested with majority arrested in the Eastern Cape (26) followed by Gauteng (25) and Western Cape (25)
▶️A total of 132 suspects were also arrested for attempted murder throughout the country
▶️A staggering figure of 3 020 suspects were arrested for being in possession of drugs. Most of these suspects were arrested in the Western Cape (1 658)
▶️Police also arrested 300 suspects countrywide for dealing in drugs
▶️Drunk driving remains a stubborn threat to public safety. This week alone, 819 suspects were arrested for driving under the influence.
Notable seizures and recoveries:
▶️In the last seven days, SAPS seized 165 unlicensed firearms. Police in KwaZulu-Natal seized 45 unlicensed handguns while Western Cape seized 34. In the Eastern Cape’s OR Tambo District alone, 15 firearms were confiscated in three separate operations, including a stolen firearm linked to a 2022 case in Qumbu.
▶️In addition, 2 331 rounds of ammunition were seized during nationwide operations
▶️65 hijacked and stolen vehicles were also recovered in the past week.
Provincial highlights for the past week:
FS: In Sasolburg, Free State, a young couple was caught selling Schedule 5 substances from their home – an operation that ended with 58 bottles of cough syrup and 22 containers of Alprazolam tablets confiscated.
Still on Free State, police seized R3.1 million worth of illicit cigarettes in Viljoensdrif and arrested two suspects on 15 August 2025 for possession of illicit cigarettes.
MP: A cross border operation led by the SAPS Acting Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi culminated in the tracing of three suspects involved in the murder of Sergeant Lawrence Mtshweni. The sergeant was shot and killed by more than seven suspects during an armed robbery at a store in Schoemansdal , Mpumalanga on Friday, 08 August 2025.
GP: In Randburg, Gauteng, counterfeit goods worth R2.8 million were seized in a multi-disciplinary operation. Police also arrested two suspects in Braamfontein for the murder of a university student.
KZN: A house robbery in Paradise Valley escalated into a high-speed chase and shootout on Underwood Road. Four suspects were injured and arrested, while one remains at large. The recovered items included firearms, electronics, and luxury handbags, evidence of a planned and violent crime spree.
Still on KZN, an intelligence driven led by the Zululand District Task Team and Ulundi Crime Intelligence resulted in the arrest of one suspect who was found in possession of prohibited rifles and ammunition at Ngwabe area in Nongoma in the early hours of Sunday, 17 August 2025.
LIM: six suspects were arrested for extortion at a chrome mine in Sekhukhune, underscoring SAPS’s reach into industrial crime.
1 919 newly trained constables deployed to capacitate and boost grassroots level of policing
On Friday, 15 August 2025, Acting Police Minister, Prof Firoz Cachalia, together with Deputy Ministers, Dr Polly Boshielo and Mr Cassel Mathale, welcomed 1 919 newly trained constables to the ranks of the SAPS. They will be deployed to bolster crime-fighting efforts, especially at the 30 stations with the highest crime rates.
