Durban - Police minister Bheki Cele has hailed the efforts of the elite policing team set up to crack down on politically-motivated murders in the province.
Addressing media at a press briefing on Friday, Cele said 512 people had been arrested for being in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition since June.
"We are satisfied with the work that this team has been doing thus far. Two weeks ago they have arrested six people in connection with the spate of political killings. Two firearms were recovered and have already been linked to at least eight cases," he said.
"During these continuing stabilisation interventions they have also seized 706 illegal guns including semi-automatic rifles, high calibre rifles (hunting rifles), shotguns, revolvers, pistols and homemade guns. The team has also seized a total of 6045 rounds of ammunition," Cele said.
Cele said these efforts had been undertaken by the team to ensure stability within the province.
The minister said 118 new members have been added to the team, while eight members from the previous task team were retained.
"This team has now adopted a project-driven approach meaning that they will have dedicated human and physical resources. The human resources includes seasoned and experienced detectives from various provinces including KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
The team comprises of 126 members led by the Acting Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Brigadiers Ngwenya and Khumalo," Cele said.
He said the National Prosecuting Authority has also added 16 experienced and seasoned prosecutors led by Advocate Selepe to support the investigating team to ensure effective case management and successful prosecutions.
Meanwhile, the question on the minds of most journalists present at the briefing was, "When would the Moerane Commission report be made public?" Minister Cele said while the report was currently being presented to Premier Willies Mchunu, he had not seen the report as yet.
#BhekiCele answers why he as the national Minister of Police has not seen the #MoeraneCommission as yet. #KZNKillings @DailyNewsSA @IOL pic.twitter.com/bXgwyjykKD
— LoisLane 📝📸 (@seannerall) August 3, 2018
#BhekiCele says they will look into claims raised during #MoeraneCommission about high ranking officials being implicated in cases.
— LoisLane 📝📸 (@seannerall) August 3, 2018