KZN man who murdered girlfriend, raped her teen daughter among 17 000 suspects arrested in nationwide crackdown
About 17 800 suspects were arrested across the country between November 3 and 9 as part of the Safer Festive Season Operation and Operation Shanela II.
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The South African Police Service (SAPS) says it has intensified its crime prevention efforts ahead of the festive season, with more than 17 800 suspects arrested across the country between 3 and 9 November 2025 as part of the Safer Festive Season Operation and Operation Shanela II.
According to the SAPS, the operations are “intelligence-led” and aimed at “stamping the authority of the state” during the holiday period. The week-long clampdown saw 17 817 suspects taken into custody, including 2 843 wanted individuals linked to serious offences such as murder, rape, car hijacking, robbery, and drug trafficking.
Nationally, police reported 145 arrests for murder, 154 for attempted murder, and 137 for rape. A total of 1 505 people were arrested for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, while 630 were apprehended for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Police also detained 1 366 undocumented migrants and 921 people for illegal dealing in liquor.
Among these arrests was the case of a 48-year-old man who allegedly burnt his girlfriend to death, attacked her 28-year-old daughter with an axe, and raped 13-year-old daughter in the Shanelweni Reserve in the Ngome policing precinct in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
According to KZN police, the incident took place on November 6 and the man was arrested the next day.
“Reports indicate that the 13-year-old girl was asleep with her elder sister when she was woken up by a noise at the door. She saw her mother's boyfriend was hacking her sister with an axe. The brave girl attempted to intervene but the axe-wielding man stopped assaulting her sister and dragged the 13-year-old out of the house.
“As he was dragging her, she noticed smoke coming from the room which her mother was sleeping in. The suspect dragged her to the nearby bushes where he raped her, before releasing her just before dawn,” the KZN police statement said.
In Limpopo, a 54-year-old suspect linked to a R 10 million insurance fraud and murder case was taken into custody outside Seshego.
The Western Cape saw the arrest of four suspects connected to multiple murders in Philippi East, while separate operations led to the seizure of abalone worth over R 3 million in Primrose Park. In the Northern Cape, police uncovered dagga worth R 7.7 million on the N7, and in Mpumalanga, officers intercepted a truck carrying counterfeit goods valued at R 1 million.
Nationally, SAPS confirmed that Eswatini authorities had issued a surrender order for the Ndimande brothers, wanted in connection with the murders of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane.
The SAPS urged communities “to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity as the festive season intensifies”.