By BAKANG MOKOTO
26 January 2026- The police in the Northern Cape conducted high-density operations under the banner Operation Shanela 2 from 19 to 25 January 2026. The police said these coordinated operations resulted in the arrest of 818 suspects for various criminal offences across the province.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Litabe said these operations comprised the searching of persons, vehicles and premises. Litabe said the conducting of patrols, inspections at licensed liquor outlets, the closure of illegal liquor outlets, the tracing and arrest of wanted suspects.
“The activities were well coordinated and led by senior management at provincial, district and station level. The police worked in close collaboration with key stakeholders, including the national traffic police, the Department of Health, the Department of Home Affairs and other law-enforcement partners.
“During the operations, the police searched 184 premises, 16 415 persons, and 7 366 vehicles. In addition, wanted suspects were traced and arrested by detectives for various serious crimes,” he said.
Litabe further said inspections were conducted at licensed liquor premises, second-hand goods dealers, non-official firearm institutions, official firearm institutions, business premises, informal businesses, farms and mines. He added that as part of the operations, the police confiscated large volumes litres of alcohol, dangerous weapons, drugs including dagga and dagga plants, crystal meth and mandrax tablets.
“Numerous items were recovered, and an undisclosed amount of cash suspected to be the proceeds of crime was seized.
“The SAPS, together with its partners, will continue to enforce the law and assert the authority of the state through simultaneous, intelligence-driven operations across all five districts of the Northern Cape,” said Litabe.
Meanwhile, the management of the South African Police Service in the Northern Cape appreciated all stakeholders for their ongoing support and participation in all crime prevention operations and looks forward to strengthening and sustaining these collaborative efforts in future operations.
The Guardian 