“South Africa has been engulfed by an insurgence of extremely violent crime that has made our people and visitors feel and be unsafe.
The levels of violence we have seen in recent months involves the use of weapons of war in the commissions of serious crimes where even innocent by-standers and children have fallen victim of gang related violent crimes.” said MINISTER FIKILE MBALULA, MP
He continued: “The South African Police Services is mandated by the constitution and law to protect the republic and its people from crime and other dangers. We cannot watch, talk and fold our arms when criminals armed with assault automatic weapons are running the streets.
We have chosen our finest, our bravest, our highly skilled and ready men and women in our police to join this elite unit to assist me in combating these threats to our lives. The teams you see in-front of you today will henceforth conduct high value target operations focussing on protecting our people and cleaning our environment of the callous murderers, rapists, drug dealers, high-jackers and armed gangs. From Soweto to Hanover-Park and back to Sunnyside here in Pretoria, we are coming and we shall not send you a further notice.
I call upon all escaped prisoners, all those who know we are looking for them in connection with violent crimes and other crimes – come in, bring yourself forth in the next 30 minutes – report to your nearest police station and hand yourself over or we shall come for you and we are aware you are highly armed and dangerous. We know you carry automatic weapons. We are coming!
I wish to direct this message to the following suspects who are at large; I say to you, come or we are coming for you, we shall find you even under the rock.
Mr Kishan Naryan of Lenasia – I am looking for you! Come in!
Mr Edward Mketunzima in Nigel or surrounds, I am looking for you! Come in!
Mr January Lebwon in Primrose or surrounds, I am looking for you! Come In!
Mr Boitumelo Clavin Mashalane, in Silverton,I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Senzo Matiwane, in Katlehong, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Godfrey Tshuma, in Hillbrow, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Wesley Joseph Jacobs, in Eersterust, I am looking for you, Come In!
Mr Brighton Masuleke in DiepKloof, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Siyabonga Sibaya, somewhere in Florida, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Abel Smal Dzviti, somewhere in Hartbeespoortdam, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Dahir Xassan Mahammed, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Joseph Nwabugo, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Musa Mbhalati, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Zahor Juma, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Stanely Luzoko Dlamini, I am looking for you, Come in!
Mr Aborkor Ibrahim Bakai, I am looking for you, Come in!
I ask you all, I ask the communities and family members or friends, to advise these individuals to report to their nearest police station in the next 30 minutes or else my appointment with them stands, our teams will track and locate you. We know you are armed and dangerous.
The public must not approach these people as they are deemed dangerous. Those who habour these individuals and assist them to evade the law will be guilty of a serious crime of defeating the ends of justice and subject to prison term if found guilty by the courts of law.
Police are also looking for the following low risk suspects, come in, we have an appointment: Those are Jonetta and Stephanus van Eeden, in Pretoria, we must have a chat, come in! Also Mr Ralph Haynes of Krugersdorp, I am looking for you, Come in!
These specialized units will resort under the command of clusters and stations to bring their effectiveness closer to the people.
The TRT will deal with confirmed medium to high-risk policing operations while the supporting highly trained Tracking Teams will focus on evasive dangerous criminals including those who escape prison or skipped bail.
There are currently 27 units in all 9 provinces, 3 in Western-Cape as I am highly concerned about drug dealing gangs in the Cape Flats, the people of the Cape Flats must not live under these circumstances, for the sake of 7 year old Ezra Daniels, who was shot dead in Grassy Park, 9 year old Aqeel Davids shot in Ocean View, we are duty bound to box these dangerous criminals in the Cape Flats – the lives of our people in the Cape Flats matter; 4 teams are deployed in Gauteng, 4 in Eastern Cape, 4 in North West and 1 each in Limpopo and Northern Cape and 6 in KwaZulu-Natal who will immediately deal with high-risk political killings support.
KwaZulu Natal political killings if allowed to continue would kill this democracy itself, I want that cleaned out with arrests made in days, weeks and months.
I want us to squeeze these killers-for-hire and those who commission them irrespective of their political stations and roles.
I have tasked the SAPS to provide a controlled criminality environment during the festive season and such operational tasks begin with this launch of the highly skilled TRT and Tracking Teams. The latter are to operate like ghosts, you are not going to know they are watching you until it is too late for you.
These teams are ready and capable, they are well resourced, they will appear out of no-where and deal with criminals. Whether these criminals are from within the SAPS or otherwise, the time is up. The response is going to felt. We will track you down and not sleep until we find you.
We have an appointment with violent criminals, I ask them to come in before we come to them. I am also warning those highly armed would be criminals or those who are planning criminality, robberies, armed attacks on cash in transit to be aware, SAPS will outgun you, we are ready, we are capable and operations against criminality start today.
There will be chopper drops, roadblocks, stop and search, we will saturate key crime hotspots and other top secret methods will be used to do our best in giving our people their country back by force.
I urge the community again, please report crime, please do not buy stolen goods, do not buy counterfeit goods – report suspicious behaviour to police. Communities must set up Community Policing Forums together with the police.
To get our country back we need to have community participation. Let us all clean these streets and take them back.
Soweto Streets are not going to be heaven streets for criminals, streets in Soshanguve, uMlazi, Sobantu, KwaZakhele, Gugulethu,
Mitchels Plein and all other areas will be silenced of guns.
Rapists, murderers, gangs, drug dealers, high-jackers and others will from here on feel the change.”
He concluded: “We are taking back the streets!”
