The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the arrest of 1,056 suspects during the intensified week-long #OperationShanela. The high-density operation was conducted across all five districts of the province from Monday, 08 December 2025, to Sunday, 14 December 2025.
Lieutenant General Hadebe stated that the ongoing operations are aimed at intensifying public safety and restoring law and order in communities.
The suspects were arrested for a wide range of offences. Notable arrests include:
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139 for illegal migration
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08 for murder
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04 for robbery with aggravating circumstances
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12 for rape
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98 for assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH)
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72 for common assault
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02 for possession of unlicensed firearms
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59 rounds of ammunition
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16 for possession of dangerous weapons
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03 for dealing in drugs
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37 for possession of drugs
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67 for illegal dealing in liquor
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09 for residential burglary
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27 for malicious damage to property
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02 for attempted murder
The arrests were effected through coordinated police actions, including stop-and-search operations, roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints, patrols, compliance inspections at liquor outlets and second-hand goods dealers, and the tracing of wanted suspects.
A significant quantity of illicit goods and items were confiscated during the operation, including:
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02 firearms
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04 vehicles
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649.459 litres of alcoholic beverages
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59 rounds of ammunition
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21 dangerous weapons
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26.528 kilograms of drugs
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2,001.85 grams of dagga
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966 packets of tobacco products
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01 litre of medicine
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05 cellphones
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Cash amounting to R830.00
The arrested suspects have already begun appearing in various Magistrates’ Courts across the province to face the respective charges.