Operation Shanela at Durban

Police Minister Bheki Cele together with national police commissioner Gen. Fannie Masemola and KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lt. Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi launched a high-density operation Shanela in Durban on Saturday.

Cele claimed that Inanda and Umlazi were the two cities with the highest rates of reported murders.

ALSO READ: Operation Shanela at the Johannesburg CBD

“This implies that everyone of us at the local, provincial, and national levels must concentrate on Inanda. It will take a lot of effort on our part to knock it off that infamous No. 1 spot.

“We cannot have a station that consistently ranks first for major crimes. They will one day have to make a move,” he said.

ALSO READ: JUST IN: Three arrests made in KZN anti-crime activist murder and smuggling case

Which province has the most mass shooting events?

According to Cele, KwaZulu-Natal was the province with the most mass shooting events.

“This province leads on mass shootings, this city, Durban is part of that. If it is not Glebelands Hostel, it is somewhere in the west. We have a problem around the west of Durban. There is a problem. I don’t know who told criminals that is their place and then at the hostels. Both hostels of Glebelands and KwaMashu give us a headache,” he said.

ALSO READ: Zama-Zama turf war spurs Florida residents’ midnight ESCAPE

Cele said more than 99,000 suspects have been arrested since the inception of Shanela in May. Through the operation, streets in all major cities will be saturated until Monday morning to “squeeze the oxygen out of criminals” and to ensure all South Africans, especially women and children, are safe and feel comfortable.

How many have been arrested since they started the operation Shanela?

“Since we started on May 8 until now, we have arrested 99,754 suspects. What makes me happy is that as I check of late, most of them are still in custody. I wouldn’t know the number, but more than 80% of them are in custody,” said Cele.

ALSO READ: WATCH: 50 suspected ILLEGAL miners snatched [VIDEO]

He claimed that among them were those who had outstanding arrest warrants for heinous offenses like murder, rape, robbery, cash-in-transit heists, and other felonies. “Those are the kinds of people we detain.

He said that three Durban regions led the pack when it came to severe crimes, with Durban Central constantly at the top. “Indeed this city of ours is not very much out of the woods when it comes to criminality,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY NOZIBUSISO MAZIBUKO