‘Enkosi Mapolisa, siyaphela kule ndawo’ meaning, (thank you police officers for your presence here). This was a sharp message from a female passenger who rolled down the window of the vehicle she was travelling in, acknowledging with excitement and appreciation the presence of a troop of police officers who were doing a stop and search operation in Browns Farm.
On Friday afternoon 02 August 2024 an integrated police contingent descended on Sheffield Road and New Lisbon in Philippi to embark on crime prevention operations. Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile along with Deputy Provincial Commissioner of Vispol Maj Gen Mpumelelo Manci and the City of Cape Town District Commissioner Maj Gen Vincent Beaton were among the police officers who had their boots firmly on the ground. As the police were busy stopping and searching all motor vehicles including taxis and minibuses commonly known as amaphela, many curious residents and school-going children were visibly pleased and excited. One of the residents who was watching the police operation from her yard said crime was committed everyday in that area, especially around the four way intersection of New Lisbon and Sheffield roads. Refusing to give away her name for fear of reprisal she said motorists were regularly hijacked, victims of smash and grabs incidents, armed robberies and every night when she is asleep, she can hear gunshots. She wished that the police could be stationed there 24 hours.
When the provincial commissioner was asked what prompted them to identify the area, he replied: ‘We want to intensify police visibility in crime hotspot areas and this is one of the areas which is rife with hijackings, armed robberies, extortion and all forms of criminality. With this operation we also want to see a crime reduction. Here in Browns Farm we have also opened a Satellite Police Station with 40 members being deployed to man the station. What we are doing here now is part of high density operations through Operation Shanela. We are here to sweep all forms of criminality and this is not a once off operation. It is intended to be an ongoing operation.’
While busy with operation Lt Gen Patekile also found a stack of dagga with a suspect who was selling it publicly and was subsequently arrested. During the operation underaged amaphela drivers were ordered off the road, unlicensed taxi drivers, stolen vehicles and illegal firearms were some of the unlawful activities brought to the book of the law in one the most bustling areas in Brown’s Farm.
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