By Everson Luhanga
- Seven SAPS officers were arrested by JMPD for allegedly extorting a zama zama in Joburg, demanding R30,000 after kidnapping him.
- A week earlier, SAPS arrested seven JMPD officers in Bekkersdal, sparking claims of abuse of power and retaliation between the two law enforcement bodies.
It’s a full-blown war between the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
On Wednesday, the JMPD’s Tactical Reaction Unit arrested seven SAPS officers. They were allegedly caught extorting money from a zama zama who had material used to refine gold.
A Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, said the SAPS officers first demanded R5,000, then raised it to R30,000. They allegedly took the zama zama to a loan shop to force him to get the money.
He said before they could get paid, the JMPD team moved in and arrested them on the spot. The seven SAPS members were arrested and taken to Booysens Police Station. They were charged with kidnapping and extortion.
Just two days earlier, the JMPD was still licking its wounds after seven of its own officers were arrested by SAPS in Bekkersdal. Those officers — from the JMPD Tactical Reaction and Recovery Units — had been accused of robbery, attempted theft and trespassing.
They were detained over the weekend without access to lawyers or phones. Dr Tshwaku described the arrests as unlawful and “an abuse of power.”
He said the officers had been tracking a stolen Toyota Hilux linked to illegal mining activity when SAPS from Bekkersdal stormed in and turned on them. He called the arrests “baseless interference” that put public safety at risk.
Dr Tshwaku has asked Gauteng police commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, to intervene and calm tensions between the two forces.
In response, SAPS said on Monday that their members had acted lawfully after the community reported “men in metro police uniforms” raiding houses. The provincial commissioner backed his officers, saying they were fighting rising hijackings and robberies in the West Rand.
While the JMPD officers were released on bail on Monday, the feud between the two forces is far from over.
For now, seven SAPS and seven JMPD officers are behind bars — the latest casualties in a growing turf war that threatens to tear law enforcement apart.
Pictured above: SAPS members taking the refined gold.
Image source: JMPD
