WATCH: SAPS assures South Africans their safety won’t be compromised amid G20 Leaders’ Summit
While thousands of SAPS members guard world leaders at the G20 Summit, police say communities across South Africa remain protected and operations continue as usual.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent newspapers
With thousands of police officers deployed to safeguard visiting world leaders and delegations attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has assured the public that police stations across the country remain fully operational and that communities will not be left vulnerable.
Earlier this week, IOL reported that more than 3,500 newly trained police constables have joined the ranks of the SAPS and are being deployed nationwide as part of heightened security measures for the global gathering, which officially opened in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The summit, being hosted in Africa for the first time, brings together the world’s major economies under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, 42 countries and international organisations are participating, with events taking place under tight security at Nasrec Expo Centre and several other key sites across Gauteng.
‘Nobody is on leave’
Speaking to journalists on Saturday morning, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, co-chair of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJoints), said both South Africans and visiting delegations should feel safe, as the police have placed all operational members on duty for the duration of the summit.
“All members of the South African Police Service are on duty. Nobody is on leave, nobody is on a rest day,” said Mosikili. “We are taking this G20 very seriously because we know the impact it will have on the country and the continent — and it all starts with security.”
She said the G20 was not only a diplomatic event but also a test of South Africa’s security capacity, with implications for investor confidence.
“If our security is weak, we are not going to have investors coming to the country. The economy rests on the security,” she said. “If the security cluster does not put measures in place to welcome everybody here and to ensure that officers are on duty to secure the country, we run the risk of not getting what the heads of state plan to achieve with an event of this magnitude.”
Law enforcement agencies have been deployed in various capacities to ensure the maintenance of law and order during this weekend's G20 Summit.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
Hotspots remain protected
Mosikili emphasised that the deployment of thousands of officers to Gauteng for the summit has not left high-crime provinces like the Western Cape, Limpopo or Mpumalanga exposed.
“Not all police officers are here, I can assure you,” she said. “In Western Cape, everything is still going. Go to Limpopo and Mpumalanga — we do not have people coming from those provinces because remember, we have Operation Shanela. We did not touch those areas.”
She said police stations nationwide remain fully operational, supported by other law enforcement agencies to ensure service delivery continues.
“Even at the police stations, they are still running. You can go to Sebokeng now — you will find the work being carried out. In the evening, when it is time for Operation Shanela, the operation will continue. We have contingencies in place that are not affecting station operations,” Mosikili said.
She added that the recent intake of new constables had boosted SAPS’ capacity during the summit. “We received new constables yesterday. Thanks to our recruitment offices, we now have a sizeable number of operatives available.”
Tight security operation
The NATJoints has confirmed that the G20 security plan includes high-density operations, roadblocks, vehicle inspections, and visible policing — with foot, vehicle, mounted and aerial patrols covering the summit’s main sites and transport routes. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) remains on standby to assist if necessary.
In the lead-up to the event, IOL also reported that Gauteng authorities installed more than 400 CCTV cameras across high-traffic nodes in Johannesburg to bolster the city’s surveillance footprint. Law enforcement agencies have been working in coordination with intelligence structures to maintain public safety and manage traffic disruptions around summit venues.
The G20 Leaders' Summit concludes on Sunday, with world leaders expected to adopt the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth. For many South Africans, however, the lasting measure of success will be whether the same vigilance shown around global dignitaries is felt in their own streets.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News