The South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested 14 274 suspects through its Shanela operations for serious crimes, including murder, rape, drug dealing, robbery, illegal migration and copper theft in the period 21 September to 27 September 2026.
This also includes firearms offences while detectives successfully traced and arrested an additional 1 854 wanted suspects.
At the same time, police closed 369 unlicensed liquor outlets, 216 of them in KwaZulu-Natal and carried out 5 727 compliance inspections at licensed establishments, confiscating more than 22 000 litres of alcohol.
SAPS has further removed 148 illegal firearms and 1 706 rounds of ammunition from circulation – weapons often used in violent crimes at liquor outlets and shebeens.
“These decisive actions underscore SAPS’ determination to protect communities from the deadly mix of alcohol abuse and illegal firearms while relentlessly pursuing suspects behind serious crimes,” the police said in a statement.
Furthermore, police arrested 195 suspects for rape, marking critical breakthroughs in the ongoing fight against the killings and sexual assaults of women.
“In the Western Cape, a dedicated team has been established to investigate the Lwandle shooting, in which 10 people were killed and 11 injured. In another tragic incident, 17 people, comprising 13 males and four females, were shot and killed at the Wedela Tavern, underscoring the devastating impact of firearms on communities,” the police said.
Among the other arrests, 2 858 people were nabbed for the possession of drugs, while 1196 were arrested for driving under the influence.
