A total of three hundred and forty-four people arrested for contravention of National Disaster Management Act regulations are among more than 1350 suspects arrested by the police in Gauteng over the weekend.
Provincial Commissioner of the police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela and senior officers from South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies led O Kae Molao Operation in Mamelodi where forty-eight people were arrested for contravention of adjusted level three lockdown regulations that include transporting liquor, drinking in public (inside a taxi), failure to wear mask in a public place, failure to confine into a place of residence during curfew time and driving while under the influence of alcohol.
In balancing crime combating and enforcement of lockdown regulations, the team led by Lieutenant General Mawela also arrested ninety-two (92) suspects for crimes that include possession of stolen vehicles, possession of drugs, dealing in drugs, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and rape.
Parallel operations were led by the District Commissioners in Ekurhuleni, West Rand, Johannesburg and Sedibeng where more people were arrested for contravention of Disaster Management Act and other serious and violent crimes.
Two people who were found selling liquor in Orlando and Noordgesig, in Soweto, are among fifty people arrested for non-compliance in Johannesburg. More than two hundred and ninety other suspects were arrested for crimes related to possession of drugs, assault common, malicious damage to property, contravention of existing protection order, reckless and negligent driving, possession of stolen motor vehicle, pointing of firearm, tampering with essential infrastructure, theft, possession of suspected stolen property and business robbery.
About two hundred people were arrested in West Rand for contravention of Disaster Management Act regulations, including drinking while under the influence of alcohol. O Kae Molao Operation in West Rand District focused mainly on rural safety, stop and searches and compliance with Disaster Management Act Regulations hence more than 300 other suspects were arrested for crime ranging from murder, armed robbery, stock theft and possession of stolen property.
More than forty-six suspects were arrested in Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng for contravention of Disaster Management Act regulations while three hundred and thirty were arrested for house robbery, business robbery, assault common, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, possession of drugs, reckless and negligent driving and malicious damage to property domestic violence related case.
Some arrested suspects paid fines after pleading guilty while others will appear in different magistrate’s courts from Monday, 01 February 2021.
Police arrest more than 344 people for contravention of Disaster Management Act adjusted level 3 regulations during weekend operation https://t.co/d7yD8WhB6e#ArriveAlive #DisasterManagementAct #Level3 @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/drvGNfmVdV
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) February 1, 2021