Patekile warns gangs: 'We are coming for you' amid Western Cape crackdown
Operation Shanela II has secured 92 arrests and saw 92 firearms confiscated.
Image: Saps
“We are coming for you. There is no hiding place.”
This was the message Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General (Advocate) Thembisile Patekile sent out to gangs and organised crime groups in the Western Cape after 92 firearms were confiscated and 92 arrests made.
The police’s Operation Shanela II has secured the arrests of 92 suspects and confiscated 92 firearms with ammunition, targeting illegal guns and gang violence.
The weapons, including handguns, rifles, and semi-automatics, were largely seized in the Cape Metropole, a hotspot for gang activity.
This week alone, operations in Delft, Mfuleni, Muizenberg, Nyanga, Mitchell’s Plain, and Swellendam recovered 19 firearms.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Andre Traut explained that through coordinated stop-and-searches, roadblocks, and the execution of targeted search warrants, police arrested 92 suspects and confiscated 92 firearms with ammunition.
The cache included handguns, homemade firearms, rifles, and semi-automatic weapons, with the majority seized in the Cape Metropole, an area plagued by relentless gang activity and gun-related killings.
Operation Shanela II has secured 92 arrests.
Image: SAPS
“Each firearm recovered represents not only a disruption to criminal operations but also the prevention of potential bloodshed in vulnerable communities,” he said.
“This week alone, operations in Delft, Mfuleni, Muizenberg, Nyanga, Mitchell’s Plain and Swellendam led to the recovery of 19 firearms with several rounds of ammunition, underscoring SAPS’s focus on breaking the cycle of violence in areas hardest hit by gang rivalries and drug turf wars”
Patekile, delivered a stern warning to gangs and organised crime groups: “We are coming for you. There is no hiding place for those who spread fear and violence in our communities. Every illegal firearm removed is a life potentially saved, and we will not stop until every network that fuels bloodshed is dismantled. Our message to gangs is clear, your days of terrorising communities are numbered.”
Traut said the integrated operations form part of SAPS’s long-term strategy to stabilise gang-affected areas, disrupt drug and firearm supply lines, and restore safety to communities living under the shadow of organised crime.
"Intensified presence on the ground will continue, with more high-impact operations already underway," he added.
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