CoJ’s Tshwaku calls for urgent interventions to end spat between JMPD & SAPS

Johannesburg Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku is calling for urgent interventions to end the ongoing spat between the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) officers.

This follows a number of arrests carried out by different law enforcement agencies against each other.

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In a media brief on Wednesday, senior JMPD officials shared that the impasse threatens community trust in law enforcement agencies.

Last week, seven police officers were arrested by the JMPD’s tactical reaction unit for the alleged kidnapping and extortion of illegal miners in Johannesburg.

The arrests followed an incident in which SAPS apprehended four JMPD officers and two illegal miners in Bekkersdal on charges including attempted theft and trespassing.

Following this arrest, Tshwaku accused SAPS of acting unlawfully, while SAPS maintained that their actions were legal.

Speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday, Tshwaku explained where he thinks the tensions started: "But the problem starts at the bottom of the ground forces. The clash that is actually happening there, but they must be remediation. And, of course, there's been sort of those tensions between ourselves and how we work from there."

Tshwaku added that the city remains committed to improving working relations between all law enforcement agencies.