Johannesburg – A major crime-fighting operation led by Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni on 29 November 2025 resulted in more than 900 arrests across the province.
The high-density sweep, conducted under the Shanela II and Safer Festive Season campaigns, unfolded simultaneously across all five districts. Detectives took more than 700 wanted suspects into custody, including 174 people linked to crimes against women and children.
During a roadblock in the Langlaagte and Sophiatown precincts, where Lieutenant General Mthombeni oversaw officers on the ground, police detained 57 undocumented foreign nationals, arrested 14 motorists for drunk driving and took seven suspects into custody for drug dealing. Officers also impounded a VW Polo with a tampered engine and shut down four liquor outlets for non-compliance with trading regulations. 
The operation brought together several state and community safety structures, including the Department of Home Affairs, Gauteng Traffic Police, metropolitan police departments, Crime Prevention Wardens, Community Policing Forum members and private security partners.
Police say similar operations will continue as part of efforts to curb crime across Gauteng during the festive period.
