Hawks Crack Down on Crime in Gauteng as Arrests, Convictions and Asset Seizures Surge

Gauteng has emerged as South Africa’s crime hotspot, keeping the Hawks — officially known as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) — busier than ever in the final quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year.

Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, head of the Hawks, revealed on Thursday that a total of 1,024 key law enforcement actions were recorded between January and March 2025. These included 656 arrests, 239 convictions, and 102 asset seizure orders valued at over R418 million.

“The City of Gold has kept us on our toes,” said Lebeya. “Most arrests and convictions took place in Gauteng, showing the intensity of the crime landscape in the province.”

Arrests and Convictions Breakdown

Of the 656 suspects arrested:

• 607 were individuals (natural persons), and

• 49 were companies or organisations (juristic persons).

About 74% of suspects were South African citizens, while 26% were foreign nationals.
The arrests resulted from:

• 364 serious organised crime investigations

• 220 serious commercial crimes, and

• 72 corruption-related probes.

Gauteng led with 139 arrests, followed by North West (99), KwaZulu-Natal (88), and both the Eastern Cape and Free State (73 each).

Meanwhile, 239 suspects were successfully convicted — including 139 South Africans and 114 foreign nationals.

During operations, the Hawks also seized:

• 395 firearms

• 1,746 rounds of ammunition

• Drugs worth R23.6 million from seven dismantled clandestine labs

Massive Asset Seizures

Lebeya said the Priority Crimes Specialised Investigation (PCSI) division also made progress in stripping criminals of their illicit gains:

• 56 preservation orders worth R370 million

• 45 forfeiture orders worth nearly R15 million

• One restraint order worth R33 million

Over R19 million was deposited into the Criminal Assets Recovery Accounts.

Police Killings and Officer Misconduct

The Hawks also condemned the killing of police officers, noting that 22 officers were murdered during the quarter — half of them in Gauteng.

• 16 were off-duty, and

• 6 were killed in the line of duty.

Two Metro police officers were among the victims.

In response, 38 suspects were arrested, and 14 were convicted, including 11 life sentences and 487 years in prison handed down.

Police Involved in Crime

Disturbingly, the Hawks also arrested 33 police officials for alleged involvement in crimes such as:

• Fraud

• Corruption

• Murder

• Robbery with aggravating circumstances

• Defeating the ends of justice

Of those arrested:

• 19 were traffic officers

• 14 were SAPS officers

Six police officials were convicted and sentenced on various serious charges.

{Source: The Citizen}

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