Minister of Police, Bheki Cele says it is all systems go for the Brics Summit scheduled to take place from 22 to 24 August.
“We were briefed about the Brics matter. It is unfortunate that it was minus you guys where we went to the venue where the Brics Summit is taking place. One is quiet satisfied that the preparations are on track,” said Cele
Cele was speaking at Operation Shanela where he was accompanied by National Police Commissioner General, Fannie Masemola and the Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela on Saturday at Johannesburg CBD.
The police top brass moved to different shops and stalls around the Johannesburg CBD confiscating counterfeit goods, arresting illegal foreign nationals and also removed pharmaceuticals not registered with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority.
Cele said the operation was yielding results as they intensified efforts to clamp down on criminals
“This operation is really beginning to yield some results. This morning alone illegal immigrants, 300 of them have been arrested. But as we said we started on 8 May and more than 70 000 of them have been arrested for many different offenses. Different crimes, outstanding warrants of arrest for murder, rape and all that illegal immigrant including the famous Zama Zama’s.
“But what you will notice about these operations is that they are multi disciplinary. We are really trying hard to clean up all sources of illegality,” he added.
Cele called on the owners of accommodation property owners not to rent out the apartments to illegal foreigners because it is difficult for police to track them down when a crime is committed.
“We are talking to the owner of these buildings that the onus and the authority is on them not to keep people that are undocumented or illegal in South Africa because when they commit crime they give police difficult work to check and trace people who have no fingerprints, no DNA records and all that,” said Cele.
The Minister also took umbrage at the number of illegal foreign nationals who own the stalls in the Johannesburg CBD.
“But one thing that really takes us back on this matter is that every stall in these street are foreign nationals and mostly those foreign nationals are illegal hence when you come to these stalls as they see the police they shut them and they all run.”
He said police will need to collaborate with other departments to address the issue.
