Police Minister Bheki Cele has lauded cops for the arrest of Ralph Stanfield, saying the alleged 28s gang boss had “brought fear and violence” to the Cape.
Speaking to the press a day after Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson, 36, were sent to the mang after being busted by the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) on Friday, Cele – who also attended their court appearance on Monday – said cops are dismantling organised crime on the Cape Flats.
The notorious duo appeared alongside Johannes “Bal” Abrahams and Denver Booysen in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, where they face charges of theft of a motor vehicle, fraud and robbery.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged incident happened in Milnerton in November 2022 and the name of the complainant is being withheld for safety reasons.
Stanfield faces an additional charge for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and it is understood that this was found during a raid of the couple’s larney home in Constantia.
Commenting on the police’s Operation Shanela, Cele said over 155 000 suspects have been arrested for contact and serious crimes such as murder, rape, robberies and hijacking across the country.
He explained that since the start of the operation in the Western Cape five months ago, cops removed 1 365 firearms off the streets along with 31 851 rounds of ammunition, while 978 murder suspects were busted.
In the same period, provincial courts handed down life sentences to 11 murderers and 14 rapists.
“Kidnapping, which has been highlighted as a crime of concern especially in the Cape Town area, has also been dealt a blow through policing interventions,” said Cele.
“From April to date, there have been 13 incidents of kidnapping for ransom, seven of the cases have been solved through the arrests of 28 suspects.”
Two people were sentenced to life behind bars for kidnapping, while 278 suspects are in jail or before the courts for kidnapping-related cases.
At the end of his briefing, Cele highlighted Stanfield’s arrest by saying: “The wheels of justice do turn, as is the case with wanted suspect Ralph Stanfield, who with his partner and two other accused appeared before a magistrate on Monday.
“We also commended the police for bringing to book an individual who has been a subject of numerous police investigations around other crimes that, too, have brought fear and violence to the people of this province, to such an extent that potential witnesses were forced into exile due to threats and intimidation.
“The case is in line with our stance as the SAPS to squeeze the space on organised crime in South Africa.”
Stanfield and his co-accused are expected to return to court next Monday for a formal bail hearing.
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