Criminals’ days numbered: Cele

MINISTER: ‘KWAMASHU HOSTEL NEEDS HAWKS’ EYES’

Operation Thunder making its way to KwaZulu-Natal after success in the Cape.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said yesterday that Operation Thunder, an intensive intervention and stabilisation programme by the SA Police Service, would make its way to KwaZulu-Natal.

Currently running in Western Cape, Operation Thunder was launched on May 15 and, according to Cele, has reaped positive results.

The minister was speaking at police headquarters in Durban yesterday, where he was introducing the new Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) head, Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, to the media.

“The National Gangsterism Intervention Operation Thunder consists of members from specialised units to deal with the scourge in the Western Cape over a period of three months,” said Cele.

The operation was intended to deal decisively with crimes against women, children and vulnerable groups and to “sanitise the streets” of gangsterism.

When the operation was rolled out in KwaZulu-Natal, the notorious KwaMashu hostel would be on the list of targets.

“KwaMashu hostel needs serious Hawks’ eyes,” said Cele.

He made the statement just hours after two alleged hijackers – believed to be from the hostel – were gunned down following a failed hijacking that led to a Durban man being shot dead in front of his children on Thursday night.

Both of the children were not harmed and a manhunt was underway for a third suspect, he said.

Earlier this week, Cele met all operational units and identified priority areas that would receive “maximum attention and focus” from all divisions in terms of operations and support.

He said that Lebeya’s “presence” in the policing portfolio must be felt, adding that the country needed answers to political killings, cash-in-transit heists, organised and commercial crimes, taxi violence, kidnapping, high profile and corruption cases.

“Of importance now is for [Lebeya] and the team of the Hawks to hit the ground running and produce tangible results,” he said.

Cele also noted his appreciation for the successes made thus far in dealing with cash-in-transit (CIT) heists. Between August 11, 2017 and May 20, 2018, the Saps and Hawks had recorded 295 incidents of CITs; 244 cases had been investigated, 130 arrests made and 44 convictions secured. – ANA