Inside the SAPS Gauteng-JMPD showdown and arrest of metro cops

A CLASH between two law-enforcement agencies has erupted in Gauteng after the arrest of several Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) Tactical Response Unit (TRU) officers by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Bekkersdal last week, triggering heated exchanges between the City of Johannesburg and provincial police leadership.

- JONISAYI MAROMO

The city’s MMC for Public Safety, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, has condemned what he called the “unlawful arrest and detention” of JMPD officers, while the SAPS maintains its members acted lawfully in response to a legitimate community alert.

On Tuesday, Tshwaku welcomed the granting of bail to the detained officers and accused SAPS members of “abusing their power” during the operation. He said the JMPD TRU and Recovery Unit were acting on “credible intelligence” about a stolen Toyota Hilux linked to an alleged illegal-mining kingpin when SAPS officers intervened.