By Everson Luhanga
- SAPS says its officers acted lawfully when they arrested four Tactical Response Unit members and two undocumented immigrants during a raid in Bekkersdal.
- Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku says the JMPD team was recovering a stolen car and accuses SAPS of protecting criminal networks instead.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng has denied claims that its members unlawfully arrested Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers during a vehicle recovery operation in Bekkersdal.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the officers responded to calls from residents who became suspicious of a Tactical Response Unit (TRU) team operating in the area.
“Members from Bekkersdal were called to the scene by the community following mobilisation against the said raid by TRU,” Muridili said.
She confirmed that four TRU officers and two undocumented immigrants were arrested on Friday, 17 October. They appeared in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court on charges including attempted theft, malicious damage to property, trespassing, defeating the ends of justice and contravening the Immigration Act.
Muridili said Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni was satisfied that the arrests were lawful. “The Provincial Commissioner is satisfied that the members acted within the bounds of the law,” she said.
She added that police visibility in the West Rand has been increased after a rise in robberies and hijackings involving people wearing police uniforms.
Meanwhile, Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Dr Mgcini Tshwaku has slammed the arrests as “a blatant abuse of power.”
He said the JMPD Tactical Response Unit was recovering a stolen vehicle when SAPS “arrived unannounced and arrested our team on baseless and fabricated charges.”
Pictured above: Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni.
Image source: @SAPoliceService
