Umkhanyakude - The Umkhanyakude District Municipality Mayor, Siphile Mdaka, has revealed that after the killing of Judah Mthethwa, an anti-crime activist fighting cross-border crime, the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, has deployed an elite team of SAPS officers consisting of top detectives to operate in the area.
Through the SAPS team’s hard work, the tide has been turned against cross-border crimes like the smuggling of stolen cars into Mozambique and the smuggling of contraband into South Africa.
Mdaka was speaking at Nhlwathi village in northern KwaZulu-Natal during the Umkhanyakude water imbizo which was called by the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, on Thursday.
cross border crimes like the smuggling of stolen cars to Mozambique & smuggling contraband into South Africa. The team of SAPS's Detectives will also review over 100 cases of crime that were sitting in police stations around the Umkhanyakude district in the past few years. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 11, 2023
Mdaka used the imbizo to brief the people of the area about measures taken to stop the smuggling of stolen vehicles into Mozambique and the smuggling of contraband like fake clothes and drugs to South Africa.
He said the community should rest assured that all unresolved cases had been reopened and there should be justice for victims.
Video: Sihle Mavuso/IOL
“We must thank the national government for this intervention where they brought a task team of 112 SAPS officers to the district and 40 of them are detectives.
“I have been given powers these days to be briefed by this team every two weeks and I must say since their arrival, crime levels have dropped.
Mdaka said the SAPS task team recently nabbed one of the kingpins allegedly involved in cross-border criminal activities.
The team of SAPS detectives will also review over 100 cases of crime that were sitting in police stations around the Umkhanyakude district in the past few years.
“Right now, 147 dockets of cases from 2003 from all police stations of Umkhanyakude have been taken for review.
“Fifteen people have been arrested as a result of reviewing these 147 dockets and cases,” Mdaka said.
The cross-border crime started almost 10 years ago and at some point former president Jacob Zuma visited the area and came up with the idea of building concrete barriers to stop the smuggling of stolen cars from South Africa.
However, that project stalled when a whistle-blower reported that it was tainted by corruption within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison.
Recently, Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube held an imbizo in the district and announced that efforts are under way to finish the stalled anti-crime project.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
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