SAPS festive operations record 24 910 arrests nationwide

South Africa’s Safer Festive Season policing operations have resulted in 24 910 arrests over 14 days, with officers also seizing 224 unlicensed firearms and 2 630 rounds of ammunition, Cape {town} Etc reports.

The* South African Police Service (SAPS)* says the arrests were made through nationwide deployments under its Safer Festive Season campaign and Operation Shanela II, with 2 680 wanted suspects among those taken into custody.

The figures were released in a SAPS update on 9 November, which also outlined arrests and recoveries across several provinces, including a new development in the investigation into the murder of former Knysna executive mayor Aubrey Tsengwa.

Knysna murder investigation leads to arrest

A 44-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with Tsengwa’s murder following an investigation led by the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

The suspect was traced to Peddie in the Eastern Cape, where a police operation was carried out on Friday, 6 November.

Tsengwa was shot and killed on 19 August while seated in his vehicle in Knysna. Three other occupants survived the shooting.

The arrest marks a development in a case that drew attention to the safety of political representatives in the Garden Route town. Earlier coverage documented the circumstances surrounding Tsengwa’s death and the investigation that followed.

Bellville drug seizure among Western Cape operations

In the Western Cape, members of K9 Cape Town arrested a 40-year-old suspect after acting on information while on patrol in Bellville.

Police seized approximately 5 000 Mandrax tablets during the operation, as the suspect was allegedly travelling to Mossel Bay when officers intercepted him at a bus depot.

Across the country, police seized 85 stolen and hijacked vehicles and confiscated 1 310 dangerous weapons. KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of handgun seizures, with 26, followed by the Western Cape with 25.

Arrest figures cover a range of offences

SAPS also provided a breakdown of key arrests recorded between 6 October and 8 November 2026.

The figures include:

• 265 arrests for murder
• 233 for attempted murder
• 308 for rape
• 16 for attempted rape
• 140 for illegal possession of firearms
• 813 for possession of dangerous weapons
• 384 for dealing in drugs
• 4 075 for possession of drugs
• 2 466 for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm
• 1 168 for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• 2 593 for contraventions of the Immigration Act
• 1 400 for illegal dealing in liquor
• 112 for armed robbery

The Eastern Cape recorded the highest number of murder arrests in the provincial breakdown, with 25, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 19.

The figures are separate from the headline total of 24 910 arrests, which SAPS described as having been recorded during the preceding 14 days.

Provincial operations result in further arrests and convictions

The national update also highlighted several investigations, arrests and court outcomes across the provinces.

In the Eastern Cape, a man was arrested for the alleged unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition after police responded to a domestic violence complaint in the Ndingishe Administrative Area on Saturday, 7 November.

During the intervention, a woman informed officers that she had obtained a protection order against her husband and that he had a firearm.

In the Free State, the Mangaung Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit secured a life imprisonment sentence for Tholang Joseph Mashilishili, who was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 26-year-old man with an intellectual disability.

Police in the province also intercepted a truck transporting drugs and dagga with an estimated street value of R1.5 million. The vehicle was reportedly travelling towards Cape Town.

In Gauteng, two suspects, a Nigerian national and a Pakistani national, were arrested after highway patrol officers acted on intelligence about a vehicle suspected of transporting drugs to Benoni. Police seized a quantity of suspected drugs.

KwaZulu-Natal police are investigating a burglary after voting materials belonging to the Independent Electoral Commission were reportedly stolen from a voting station in Hillcrest between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

In Limpopo, the Polokwane High Court sentenced Gareth Alexander Potgieter, 38, and Wynand Carel Steyn, 38, to life imprisonment each for the murder of 43-year-old Hendrik Stephanus Venter in the Waterberg District.

Mpumalanga police arrested four suspects, aged between 40 and 55, following an alleged mob justice incident in Kwazakhele on Friday, 6 November. Two men died, and two other people were injured.

In the Northern Cape, a 30-year-old man received three life sentences from the Upington High Court for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in Keimoes in October 2025.

Meanwhile, three additional suspects were arrested in connection with a farm robbery and attempted murder in Syferfontein, Ventersdorp, in the North West.

The arrests brought the total number of suspects in the investigation to five. Police also seized four firearms, two of which are linked to the incident, along with clothing and jewellery.

The latest figures include 224 unlicensed firearms seized during the reporting period, as well as 2 630 rounds of ammunition.

The operations are continuing under the Safer Festive Season campaign and Operation Shanela II, with police maintaining visibility and conducting enforcement activities across the country.

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Picture: Getty Images

The post SAPS festive operations record 24 910 arrests nationwide appeared first on Cape Town ETC.