Surge in police killings raises alarm bells for South Africa's justice system
Image: Fikile Marakalla/GCIS
TWENTY-TWO police officers have been killed in just three months. The majority of them - 16 - were off-duty at the time of their murder.
This is according to Hawks boss Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya who was speaking at the release of the fourth quarterly results on Thursday.
Lebeya said an attack on police officials is an assault on society and an attack on the State.
"We categorised the killing of police officials as a national priority offence that requires the attention of the Hawks."
Fifty percent of the murders took place in Gauteng.
Concerning police killings, Lebeya said 38 people were arrested, 14 convictions secured, and 11 life imprisonments handed down by the courts.
"In addition, 487 years imprisonment were secured."
During this period, 33 police officers - 19 traffic officers and 14 SAPS members - were arrested for various crimes.
These crimes range from fraud, corruption, murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and defeating the ends of justice.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
These officers were arrested in the Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Free State provinces.
"Six police officials were convicted and sentenced for defeating the ends of justice, conspiracy to commit robbery, fraud and corruption."
Lebeya said that during the period from January 2025 until March 2025, a total of 656 people were arrested, the majority of them being South African.
"Of these arrests, 74% are South Africans and 26% are foreign nationals."
Most of these arrests were made in Gauteng, with 139 recorded, followed by 99 arrests in North West and 88 in KwaZulu-Natal.
During these arrests, 395 firearms and 1,746 rounds of ammunition were seized.
Seven clandestine drug laboratories were dismantled with drugs worth a total street value of over R23 million.
'During this same period, the Directorate secured convictions on 239 accused persons.'
Lebeya said the Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) contributed towards issuing 102 freezing and forfeiture orders amounting to over R418 million. Of these orders, 56 were Preservation Orders with a monetary value of over R370 million.
Over R19 million had been deposited into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA).
Lebeya also said a total of 50 cash-in-transit heists were recorded during this quarter. Sixty-four people have been arrested in cash-in-transit related crimes, with ten suspected criminals killed in a shootout with cops.
Thirteen convictions were secured on CIT and related cases.
Twenty-four cases of kidnappings were reported to the Hawks during the period under review. Of the 35 suspects arrested, 28 were South Africans and seven were foreign nationals.
During the fourth quarter, 78 suspects were arrested and 37 convictions for tax-related offences.
Lebeya reiterated that the Hawks would continue to execute its mandate without fear, favour or prejudice by the Constitution and other laws of the Republic,' he said.
Cape Times
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
31 minutes ago
- Eyewitness News
Closing arguments due in Malema's firearm discharge case
JOHANNESBURG - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema is expected back at the East London Magistrates Court, where closing arguments will be heard in his firearm discharge trial. Malema is accused of firing a gun on stage at a rally at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, 2018. His security official, Adriaan Snyman, is accused of giving him the alleged weapon and will also be back in the dock with Malema on Monday morning. The pair faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and contravening the Firearms Control Act. The closing arguments were initially set down for the end of 2024 but proceedings in the long-running trial hit a snag when the magistrate in the matter fell ill. READ: Malema's bodyguard calls on gun expert as first witness in duo's firearm discharge trial Previously, the defence led the evidence of two expert witnesses in firearms control and forensic ballistics for Snyman. Malema testified in his own defence. This is what Malema had to say when he took to the stand a year ago. 'My DNA is not found on that weapon, my house was never searched, my workplace was never searched looking for that weapon, I was never questioned about that weapon. I must come to this court and answer for weapons that cannot not be brought anywhere close to my skin or to me.' While Malema believes the State is clutching at straws, prosecutors believe they've made their case.
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Operation Simama leads to multiple arrests during Edenvale crime crackdow
Operation Simama leads to multiple arrests during Edenvale crime crackdow Multiple suspects were arrested recently when law enforcement agencies joined forces in Edenvale as part of a large-scale crime prevention initiative. Conducted between July 9 and July 11, Operation Simama brought together the SAPS, the Flying Squad, EMPD, Gauteng Traffic Police, Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens, private security stakeholders, and the Edenvale CPF. According to Edenvale Police Station's communications officer, Warrant Officer Jacob Mashile, the operation forms part of ongoing efforts to reduce crime within the Edenvale policing precinct. ALSO READ: Joint operation leads to zama zama bust on N12 Edenvale CPF public relations officer Fiona Pickett explained that the operation focused on Edenvale and surrounding areas. High-visibility patrols, stop-and-search initiatives, compliance inspections, and intelligence-led interventions were all part of the coordinated effort. 'Residents are encouraged to cooperate with law enforcement, remain vigilant, and report suspicious activity,' said Pickett. The operation led to the detention of 20 undocumented foreign nationals, who were handed over to the Department of Home Affairs for further processing. In addition, two suspects were arrested on drug-related charges, and six motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. ALSO READ: Bedfordview operation nabs suspects, disrupts illicit activities As part of broader investigations, 15 South African nationals were profiled. 'This operation highlights the power of collaboration,' said Edenvale Vispol Commander Lieutenant Colonel Shadrack Magcuntsu. 'When law enforcement agencies and community structures work together, we send a strong message that criminal activity will not be tolerated.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Is the leader of the GNU lost at sea? : Ramaphosa's leadership style questioned
Many South Africans have expressed disappointment with the manner Ramaphosa dealt with the Mchunu allegations. President Cyril Ramaphosa is losing the country. His hold on it is unravelling like a ball of frayed string rolling downhill. The government of national unity, which had vowed to rescue South Africa, is dysfunctional, largely because of the president's appalling lack of leadership. Unprecedented depths of economic and social distress have heightened public discontent and one senses that it needs just a spark to erupt. The ever-faster cascade of events has punctuated the president's customary sang-froid. He has made foolish decisions and he has been caught in fabrications that he should have realised were bound to be exposed. Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's explosive allegations about political meddling, cadre deployment and institutional capture in law enforcement and the justice system left Ramaphosa flat-footed. It says much about how out of touch Ramaphosa has become that, despite the gravity of Mkhwanazi's allegations, he genuinely seemed to think he could shield his close ally, police minister Senzo Mchunu and deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. Public outrage swiftly made his stance untenable. As Mchunu's stand-in, Ramaphosa chose Prof Firoz Cachalia. A respected academic who, on paper, looked like a safe choice, Cachalia arrives with baggage of his own. When Mkhwanazi earlier this year went public for the first time with claims of political meddling, Cacha lia accused him of 'public grandstanding' and urged him to stick to the internal police channels that he had accused of corruption. But the comedy continues. Farcically, the portfolio in the meantime has been handed to Gwede Mantashe, the most compromised but longest-serving minister Ramaphosa has had. It's during all this slapstick that Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni deemed it to be an opportune to release the 2024-2028 National Security Strategy assessment, which confusingly concludes that, despite political assassinations, incipient terrorism, violent extremism, economic sabotage and ram pant corruption, South Africa is a stable and secure nation. She then went on to make some extraordinary remarks at the press conference about a potential coup d'état. 'There is,' Ntshavheni told the increasingly bewildered journalists, 'a potential risk of a coup d'état. We have identified it and put measures in place to mitigate against it. So, that's why we say to South Africans that there will not be anyone attempting to do a coup in South Africa.' ALSO READ:'Cyril must fall': Organisations march against Ramaphosa to Union Buildings on Mandela Day In the past few days or in the past few weeks, there has not been anyone attempting to do a coup in South Africa. That does not mean people are not planning one. Or, as Lewis Carroll put it with greater elegance and far less chance of rocking national confidence: 'If it was so, it might be. And if it were so, it would be. But as it isn't, it ain't.' Unfortunately for Ramaphosa, his other pet project, the National Dialogue, is not going to save the day for him. To many, it's just the latest manifestation of Ramaphosa's preference for symbolism over action. Even ANC legacy foundations, long accustomed to wielding quiet influence behind the scenes, are now publicly voicing their frustration. This week, the Walter and Albertina Sisulu Foundation issued a blistering statement, warning that Ramaphosa's habit of 'preaching dialogue while insulating political elites from accountability' amounts to little more than political theatre. The foundation charged that his leadership – tarnished by the still unresolved Phala Phala scandal – 'contradicts the very principles his administration claims to uphold'. The foundation's conclusion was stark: it's time for Ramaphosa to resign. NOW READ: What now for Senzo Mchunu? Police minister's political career on the ropes
