Government expands Operation Shanela in Ekurhuleni after nine bodies found

An expanded Operation Shanela has been initiated in Ekurhuleni to intensify law enforcement visibility and improve safety on the ground, following the discovery of nine bodies amid investigations into a spate of killings of women on the East Rand.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide announced the expansion after briefing the media in Pretoria on Sunday afternoon on the government’s response to the murders. The committee is co-chaired by Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga.

According to Chikunga, the expanded operation incorporates municipal metro police forces to enforce bylaws, tackle the illegal sale of liquor and drugs, and reinforce border security.

At local level, the City of Ekurhuleni will intensify grass cutting and debushing of open spaces and clear illegal dumping sites in line with the Clean Cities and Towns programme.

Campaign redirected to safety

Chikunga said the GCIS Love Your Street campaign is being redirected because of the urgency of the situation. The campaign mobilises communities to keep their environments clean and promotes shared responsibility for neighbourhood safety.

“The Love Your Street campaign encourages communities and municipalities to clean, maintain and improve local environments, including addressing overgrown grass and illegal dumping,” she said. “Love Your Street campaign does not remove the responsibility for reliable refuse removal, clearing of open spaces and keeping open spaces properly lit from municipalities.”

Businesses operating in public spaces, including shopping centres, transport facilities and entertainment establishments, were urged to ensure that lighting, security systems, emergency procedures and surveillance infrastructure are functional, and to cooperate promptly with police requests for information or security footage.

The IMC condemned what it described as the GBVF Sandton reported incident, in which a man has been recorded threatening women for rejecting his advances, and called on the suspect to hand himself over to the nearest police station urgently.

Chikunga commended the swift arrest, with the assistance of taxi drivers, of an e-hailing driver who allegedly raped a 17-year-old child, describing it as the type of community leadership the country needs.

She said the IMC had learnt with grave concern of attempts to interfere with police investigations, adding that the law would take its course on interference with justice. Law enforcement officials and institutions receiving complaints of gender-based violence had a responsibility to respond promptly, professionally and sensitively, and every report must be treated seriously, properly investigated and referred to appropriate support services.

Communities named as partners

Chikunga said government action alone was not enough and described communities as essential partners in preventing gender-based violence and femicide, supporting investigations and creating safer public spaces. Residents were urged to report suspicious conduct, threats, harassment, missing persons and incidents of violence without delay.

Community policing forums, ward committees, street committees, traditional and faith-based organisations, civil society formations, institutions of higher learning, schools, businesses and neighbourhood associations were called on to strengthen coordination with local policing structures.

The committee said a core pillar of its focus is active male engagement and youth education, with men and boys to be systematically mobilised as partners in shifting societal norms. Community, sporting, workplace, educational and faith-based programmes should promote positive models of masculinity, respect for women and girls, non-violent conflict resolution and accountability, Chikunga said.

She registered the IMC’s concern that despite strengthened legislation and interventions, the country continues to experience unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence and femicide. The National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide remains the country’s collective framework for preventing violence, strengthening the criminal justice response, supporting victims and survivors, and addressing the social and economic conditions that enable abuse.

“We need all hands-on deck on a sustained and coordinated action by government, law-enforcement agencies, civil society, business, communities and individuals,” Chikunga said. “Gender-based violence and femicide are not private or women’s issues. They are societal crimes that demand collective responsibility and decisive action.”

This report is based on the government’s own summary of the briefing, published by SAnews (South African Government News Agency), rather than a full transcript of the proceedings. The source is available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/expanded-operation-shanela-intensifies-law-enforcement-ekurhuleni.