The operation was recently announced by the SAPS national office in celebration of Women’s Month.
Accompanied by WO Wynand du Toit, the six officers – WO Noxola Vumazonke, Lieut Col Elsie Malapane, Maj Rosemary Mkasi, Col Thandi Twala, Const Busisiwe Khuzwayo and Sgt Khanyisile Masomboka – first visited the Gugulethu Informal Settlement where they seized illegal mining eguipment and arrested three illegal immigrants.
The two men, aged 24 and 30, and a 24-year-old woman were taken to the Springs police cells.
Springs police spokesman Capt Johannes Ramphora says some of the illegal immigrants ran away before they could be arrested.
The officers also found personal documents belonging to deceased people.
Among the find was an ID book belonging to a woman born in 1926 and a Lesotho passport.
Ramphora says they are investigating whether these were used to commit crime.
The officers then moved to Bakerton where they inspected several shops for expired groceries.
They seized expired infant cereal and formula, cooking oil, wheat flour, jam, tinned fruit and several other tinned goods.
Illegally imported oils from India were also confiscated.
It is believed the shop owners need an import permit for these products.
The owner of the shop from where the goods were confiscated, also doesn’t have a business licence but wasn’t arrested.
“We have contacted the Ekurhuleni Metro’s Health Department to visit the shops,” says Ramphora.
The seized groceries will be destroyed by police.
