Midrand bust demonstrates decisiveness in crushing drug empires
Barely a few hours after the President of the Republic, President Jacob Zuma made a call to the police to intensify the war on drugs during his State of the Nation Address; members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) delivered on this clarion call.
A joint policing operation comprising of Organized Crime, Hawks and Forensics teams swooped on a drug-manufacturing hideout house in Vorna Valley, Midrand in Gauteng last night and confiscated drugs worth about R35 million. No arrests were made yet although are imminent as investigations are still ongoing.
The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa today congratulated the entire team and said such swift operations will be an ongoing routine in the fight against drug peddlers. “Our approach in dealing with drug abuse does not merely focus on arresting these ‘weak and high junkies’ because they would not be of any help, anyway. Our targets are the so-called ‘big boys or godfathers’ who torment society and this bust demonstrates that our strategy is yielding results.”
Minister Mthethwa is of the view that by tackling the druglords forthrightly this will decrease crime drastically because criminals who commit despicable forms of crime usually do so while they are ‘high.’ The effects these drugs have on society are dreadful as in most instances the youth, in particular young women end up turning to prostitution and inevitably end up leading tragic and tainted lives as well as committing crime.
“The message from the President was clear and unambiguous. He has directed the Force to deal decisively with people who sell drugs to children as well as those tavern owners who sell alcohol to children. We therefore vow that as the Force to be reckoned with, we shall in the comings days, weeks and months be intensifying our resolve in dealing with this scourge,” added the Minister.
We call on communities to continue providing tip offs to the police when in suspicion of drugs hubs within their communities. “We know that these scoundrels operate from within our communities and are in fact known by the youth. We therefore urge them to no idolize and shield them but to expose their criminal syndicates and we shall crush them,” concluded the Minister.
The ministry has over the past months interacted with different communities that have been negatively affected by drugs such as whoonga, nyaope and tik. Through these engagements, we were able to establish formidable partnerships with schools, communities, business, faith-based organizations and social structures aimed at dealing with this scourge.
For enquiries, please contact:
Zweli Mnisi, Spokesperson to the Minister of Police
Cell: 082 045 4024
