SAPS will effectively lock down parts of Ekurhuleni in the coming weeks. On Wednesday Cachalia said a high-level, multidisciplinary team had been established.
“The team is in place, and I can give you the assurance, based on past experience, that when it comes to such situations, the South African Police Service has the experience, the high-level expertise, to investigate cases of this kind,” Cachalia said.
He was speaking alongside the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga; Social Development Minister, Dina Pule; Deputy Minister of Police, Dr Polly Boshielo; Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi; and Acting National Commissioner of SAPS, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane.
The developments have triggered a major policing response, and Cachalia said Operation Shanela would be “massively expanded” in Kempton Park and surrounding areas.
“The police will lock down this area in the coming weeks. The community will see the presence of the South African Police Service, and we will mobilise all necessary law enforcement capabilities, working with our communities,” he said.
Police have also offered a R400,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the killings.
“I want to say the police are not depending on offering rewards. And I’m sure that the people out there, our people, want to report to the police without the necessity of a monetary reward. What is just needed is your humanity, your self-respect, your dignity, your determination to secure justice for the victims,” he said.
“The thought that someone can go out on a run to participate in a happy event, never to return home, is too unbearable to think about,” he said.
Cachalia urged Community Policing Forums, community patrollers, church leaders and community-based organisations to work with police, while warning against rumours and unverified claims circulating on social media.
“What is needed is committed law enforcement, visible policing, expert investigation, with the support of our people, with the support of our communities,” he added.
