Police arrest nearly 3,000 foreign nationals during week‑long Shanella II operation

Police arrested 2,884 foreign nationals during a nationwide week‑long operation, the South African Police Service said, in a sweep that ran from 22 to 28 June 2026 under the banner Shanella II.

Scope of the operation

The SAPS said the operation produced a large number of arrests across the country. In addition to the foreign nationals detained for contravening the Immigration Act, the sweep netted 15,384 other suspects and traced 1,717 wanted suspects.

Violent and serious crimes

The exercise included arrests for a range of violent offences: 146 murder arrests (led by KwaZulu‑Natal and Gauteng), 136 for attempted murder, and 111 for rape (of which 26 were in the Free State). Police also arrested more than 1,100 people for assault GBH.

Drugs, firearms and seizures

Drug enforcement accounted for 1,543 arrests for possession (including 634 in the Western Cape) and 222 arrests for dealing. For firearm‑related offences, police arrested 102 suspects and seized 101 unlicensed firearms, 1,160 rounds of ammunition, 620 dangerous weapons and 46 stolen or hijacked vehicles.

Police statement

SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk confirmed the number of foreign nationals arrested and reiterated the service’s wider mandate. She said,

“Ahead of planned national protests against illegal immigration set to take place this week, the Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, has reaffirmed the Saps’ commitment to protect the constitutional right of citizens to protest peacefully while ensuring the safety and security of all South Africans.”

Van Wyk added:

“The Saps’ role is to maintain public order, protect lives and property, and act decisively against any criminality that threatens public safety.”

Operational highlights by province

The SAPS listed specific outcomes from several provinces during Shanella II:

• National: A 23‑year‑old woman intercepted at OR Tambo Airport expelled 28 cocaine‑filled capsules.
• Eastern Cape: Detective Nigel Wright’s investigation secured five life sentences plus 80 years for “Hupa” Ntisana over a 2024 shooting spree.
• Free State: 16 suspects arrested after a double business robbery at Welkom’s Goldfields Mall.
• Gauteng: Three suspects caught after a high‑speed chase on the R21 linked to armed freeway robberies.
• KwaZulu‑Natal: Two teenagers were arrested for the murder of an Ethiopian shopkeeper in Matiwaneskop.
• Limpopo: Four suspects held with illicit cigarettes, a stolen vehicle and SANDF uniform; another arrested for immigration violations.
• Mpumalanga: Seven undocumented foreign nationals arrested at an illegal alcohol plant in Ogies.
• Northern Cape: A 22‑year‑old convicted for spade assaults on his partner, sentenced after an FCS investigation.
• North West: Three suspects arrested for a Kanana tavern mass shooting that killed two and injured five.
• Western Cape: Flying Squad foiled a kidnapping plot, seizing an assault rifle, a pistol, ammunition and suspect vehicles.

Police readiness

Police reassured the public that law enforcement agencies “are fully prepared to safeguard the country, protect lives and property, and maintain law and order.”

The SAPS operation Shanella II produced wide‑ranging arrests and seizures as reported by the service for the period 22–28 June 2026.