CRIME is on the rise in Soweto.
Gauteng police commissioner Major-General Tommy Mthombeni said Soweto is struggling with a high number of contact offences, attempted murder, property hijackings, burglaries and ATM bombings.
He said this during Operation Shanela, which took place on Thursday, 11 April on the N17 between Orlando East and Meadowlands.
"As a province, we're committed to eliminating illegal firearms. We have managed to seize no less than 100 firearms and about 800 pieces of ammunition.
"We're also aware that a prominent case was reported in Honeydew where a Kaizer Chiefs player was shot, and his vehicle hijacked. We recovered the vehicle on Monday with the help of the community who assisted us," he said, adding that the information led to the arrest of six people.
"As a province, we are committed to ensuring that we create a safe environment for the community.
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Speaking about the taxi violence in Soweto, Mthombeni said he had brought in the CEO of Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) to look into compliance in relation to firearms.
"We know that firearms are involved in the taxi industry," he said.
He said the ATM bombings in Soweto were linked to cash in transits robberis, which is why the police want to take the guns away from the criminals.
"There are a number of firearms that we have recovered in Soweto. In Dobsonville, there was an attempted cash in transit where there was crossfire and unfortunately some suspects were fatally wounded. We have recovered three rifles," he said.
He said they are trying to solve the problem of ATM bombings in the area.
"Last Wednesday, we interrogated suspects who wanted to carry out robberies and ATM attacks. Five people were fatally injured when the criminals started shooting at the police. We fought back."
He appealed to the communities to work hand in hand with the cops against the scourge of crime in the province.
