Ekurhuleni District Commissioner Major General Anna Sithole has issued a stern warning to communities ahead of the planned nationwide protests on 30 June, saying police will have zero tolerance for criminality, violence and the destruction of property.
Speaking during Operation Shanela in Kwa-Thema in Ekurhuleni on Thursday, Sithole assured residents that law enforcement agencies are fully prepared to maintain law and order during the planned demonstrations.
She said while citizens have a constitutional right to protest, marches must take place peacefully and within the confines of the law.
“We are preparing ourselves to ensure that the country remains safe on 30 June. Police officers will be out in full force to make sure there is no loss of life, no damage to property and no criminal activity during the protests.
“We appeal to communities to exercise their right to protest peacefully. People are free to raise their grievances, but they must do so within the ambit of the law. We will be monitoring all activities closely and there will be zero tolerance for lawlessness,” she said.
Sithole said all police stations across Ekurhuleni would be fully operational, with officers deployed to identified hotspots and strategic areas.
She added that she would personally oversee some of the operations on the day.
According to Sithole, Kwa-Thema in Ekurhuleni remains a concern due to its history during the 2021 unrest and has once again been identified as a hotspot by law enforcement authorities.
“As part of our preparations, we have intensified crime prevention operations in the district. There can be no successful operation without intelligence-led policing,” she said.
Sithole revealed that crime intelligence officers received information from community members about suspected drug houses in Kwa-Thema.
She said acting on the information, police raided several properties and arrested six suspects for drug-related offences.
“Police confiscated various drugs, including mandrax and nyaope. Detectives also conducted tracing operations targeting wanted suspects and made additional arrests,” she said.
She said during Thursday’s operation, police arrested 40 undocumented foreign nationals, while traffic officers issued 37 fines for various traffic violations and also shut down two illegal liquor outlets and confiscated alcohol.
Sithole said the arrests and confiscations highlighted the extent of substance abuse challenges facing communities and reaffirmed the importance of ongoing crime prevention operations.
“The arrests we have made show that there are still individuals who continue to sell drugs to our children and contribute to crime in our communities. We will continue targeting them and ensuring that they face the full might of the law,” she said.
She urged residents to continue working with police by reporting criminal activities and providing information that could help law enforcement agencies fight crime
