The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, has in April 2018, assembled a team under the auspices of Operation Gijima Tsotsi, with a view to address the scourge of cash in transit heists, bank robberies as well as ATM bombings.
The operation which is led by a senior police officer and comprised of different units within the SAPS, like the Detective Services, Hawks, Crime Intelligence, Tactical Response Team as well as the Flying Squad, is making tremendous progress as already, several suspects have been arrested thus far. The Provincial Commissioner has seen it fit to devise a strategy to deal with the scourge of these crimes which are rearing its ugly head.
CIT heists and other related crimes are occurring at almost all parts of the province and the perpetrators thereof are daring and always dangerously armed, which is a clear signal that they are ready to kill. Therefore, it is important for the community to work closely with the police by not confronting such villainous characters but to report them to the police who are mandated and capacitated to arrest criminals,’’ said General Zuma.
A total of 28 suspects have been arrested so far, eight firearms including five AK 47s, two rifles and a 9mm pistol were recovered. The police further recovered seven luxury vehicles which are believed to have been used during the commission of crime. The suspects were arrested for various violent crimes including murder, CIT heists, possession of explosives, bank robberies, ATM bombings, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit crime, kidnapping and assault of a Traffic Officer, theft of explosives, theft of cash as well other related crimes.
The arrested suspects have already appeared before the various Magistrates’ Courts in the province with some being remanded in custody, with bail applications being processed, while some are out on bail with tight conditions.
General Zuma is elated about the arrests and he said that there is still more that needs to be done. He requested community members to be patriotic to the course of justice so that these heartless individuals can be rooted out of the society. ‘’Without working as a collective, we will not be able to deal these daring and barbaric gangs a bitter blow. “I have dedicated this special team to deal with the damage already caused, as well as put plans in place to proactively monitor activities of these criminals”, said General Zuma
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