Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya announced on Thursday that the organisation, also known as the Hawks, has made significant inroads in apprehending individuals involved in high-profile cases, as he presented progress made in the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year.

He noted the arrest of uMkhonto weSizwe member Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla owing to the Durban Crimes Against the State unit of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation, following the unrest that brought the country to a standstill in 2021.

Lebeya also cited eight corruption cases, in which senior government officials were implicated.

He said in the last quarter, 656 suspects were secured before the various courts in the country, and of these arrests, 450, or 74%, are South Africans, while 15, or 26% of those arrested, are foreign nationals.

“Of the 656 suspects, the Serious Organised Crime Investigation secured 364, the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation secured 220 while the Serious Corruption Investigation secured 72 suspects before court,” he said.

Gauteng had the most arrests with 139, followed by North West with 99, KwaZulu-Natal with 88, and the Eastern Cape and Free State with 73 suspects each.

“During these arrests, 395 firearms and 1 746 rounds of ammunition were seized. Seven clandestine drug laboratories were dismantled with drugs worth a total street value of R23 361 125.00,” he said.

Lebeya noted that during this same period, the Directorate secured convictions of 239 accused persons.

“A total number of 266 – 253 natural and 13 juristic – accused persons including those convicted in the previous quarters were sentenced during the quarter under review. Of the 253 sentenced natural persons, 139 – 55% – are South Africans while 114 – 45% – are foreign nationals,” he explained.

He highlighted that most of these convictions and sentences were secured in Gauteng.

Lebeya noted the killing of police officers under serious organised crime, with 22 police officials murdered during this time, 16 of whom were off duty.

“50% of these murders happened in Gauteng. Thirty-eight arrests were effected and 14 convictions with 11 life imprisonment sentences plus 487 years imprisonment were secured.  Over and above these killings of South African Police Services members, two Metropolitan police officials were also killed,” he revealed.

He explained that 50 incidents of cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies were received by the Directorate, noting a total of 28 suspects, excluding ten who died in exchange of gunfire with the police, were arrested.

“It is comforting that no one was released on bail. Over and above, 36 suspects were arrested in CIT-related cases making a combined number of 64 arrest for CIT and related crime. Thirteen convictions were secured on CIT and related cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Priority Crime Specialised Investigation has contributed towards the issuing of a combined 102 freezing and forfeiture orders amounting to R418 938 340.14.

Of these orders, he explained that 56 were Preservation Orders with a monetary value of R370 952 439.49, with 45 Forfeiture Orders with a monetary value of R14 985 900.65; and one Restraint Order with a monetary value of R33 000 000.00. 

“An amount of R19 104 419.50 has been deposited into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account,” he said.

These performances bring the total recorded successes on arrests, convictions and attachment of assets to 1 024. He highlighted that of these cases, 656, 266 and 102 are for arrests, convictions and recovery of assets respectively.