Motshekga: military and police must target organised crime kingpins

Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga asserted that merely apprehending low-level criminals and seizing weapons and drugs is insufficient to dismantle organised crime, emphasizing that authorities must target the individuals steering the criminal networks. During a National Council of Provinces (NCOP) session on Wednesday, she addressed oral questions concerning Operation Prosper, the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to aid police in combating organised crime and illegal mining.

Motshekga stressed that the emphasis should be on intelligence work to uncover the sources of drugs and firearms, those moving them, and those orchestrating the criminal networks. She posited that intelligence work and reaching the root of the problem were the crucial elements. The authorities must also pinpoint those managing illegal mining activities and identify the masterminds behind these operations.

SANDF's role encompassed stabilizing communities while collaborating with police and intelligence services to gather crucial information that could aid in tracing the criminal networks, Motshekga explained. She reiterated that tackling organised crime and gang violence through military and policing efforts alone was unfeasible, asserting that a comprehensive government approach, including community involvement, was vital for a lasting solution.

The Education Department had a role to play in safeguarding children and preventing them from joining gangs, while the Correctional Services needed to engage as gangs continued to network from prisons, even with cellphone restrictions. Community engagement was essential, as residents often knew the whereabouts of criminals and their hideouts.

Motshekga noted that community facilitation teams were already interacting with communities and that authorities required collaboration with residents to comprehend how organised crime manifested locally. Operation Prosper had yielded the seizure of firearms, ammunition, narcotics, stolen vehicles, livestock, equipment utilized in illegal mining, undocumented individuals across several provinces, and 133 criminals in the Western Cape and 47 in Gauteng.

Additionally, contraband such as alcohol, stolen food, and mining equipment like wheelbarrows and oxygen cylinders were apprehended. The Education Department allocated R344 million for allowances, R297 million for food, R45 million for maintenance and repairs, R25 million for items like extension cords, and R42 million for consumables such as cleaning materials and toilet paper.

Initially, the Defence Department funded Operation Prosper using its budget until Treasury allocated R823 million on August 6, following the absence of funds and the absence of a legal framework.