Over 200,000 Operation Shanela suspects have previous convictions - Mchunu
In a Parliamentary response, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that of the one million suspects arrested during Operation Shanela, 20% of them have previous convictions.
Law enforcement's Operation Shanela in Johannesburg on Friday, 20 December 2024. Picture: X/@GTP_Traffstats
JOHANNESBURG - Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has revealed of the one million suspects arrested during Operation Shanela, 20% of them have previous convictions.
The minister gave this information in a parliamentary response to Rise Mzansi’s questions about the results of the operation.
Operation Shanela kicked off in early 2023 - a special crime-fighting campaign that consists of regular stop and searches, roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints, and high visibility patrols that include foot patrols.
READ: Operation Shanela's first year reaping rewards as SAPS crunches numbers
Mchunu said that 200,000 suspects who were nabbed in the course of this campaign were found to already have previous convictions, while 21, 000 were released due to a lack of evidence.
He also added that over 300,000 Operation Shanela-related cases are currently before the court.
Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana said, "The figures paint a mixed picture of the fight against crime and keeping the people of South Africa and their community safe. Nonetheless as Rise Mzansi we would like to extend our thanks to the men and women in blue who work daily to build the safe South Africa."
The party said that it would probe the police minister in parliament for more information about the effectiveness of Operation Shanela.