Police versus police: Inside the SAPS Gauteng–JMPD showdown and arrest of metro cops
A clash between two law-enforcement agencies has erupted in Gauteng after the arrest of several Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) Tactical Response Unit (TRU) officers by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Bekkersdal last week, triggering heated exchanges between the City of Johannesburg and provincial police leadership.
The city’s MMC for Public Safety, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, has condemned what he called the “unlawful arrest and detention” of JMPD officers, while the SAPS maintains its members acted lawfully in response to a legitimate community alert.
On Tuesday, Tshwaku welcomed the granting of bail to the detained officers and accused SAPS members of “abusing their power” during the operation. He said the JMPD TRU and Recovery Unit were acting on “credible intelligence” about a stolen Toyota Hilux linked to an alleged illegal-mining kingpin when SAPS officers intervened.
Tshwaku said the metro police officers were disarmed, handcuffed, and detained without being told the charges against them. He further alleged that JMPD internal affairs unit was initially denied access to the detained members and that the officers were moved between police stations over the weekend before finally appearing in court on Monday.
“This unlawful arrest not only undermines inter-governmental relations but also compromises public safety by hindering legitimate law-enforcement operations,” Tshwaku said.
He called on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC Jacob Mamabolo to intervene to defuse what he described as escalating tensions between metro and national police agencies.
However, in a statement issued on Monday, Gauteng SAPS provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, rejected the city’s version of events and said the officers’ arrest was lawful.
According to SAPS, four JMPD TRU members and two undocumented foreign nationals were arrested in Bekkersdal and appeared in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court on charges including attempted theft, malicious damage to property, trespassing, defeating the ends of justice, and contravening the Immigration Act.
Mthombeni said police were responding to a “community mobilisation” against an alleged raid carried out by the JMPD unit. He noted that residents had recently raised alarms about house robberies and hijackings committed by suspects wearing traffic-police uniforms and using vehicles fitted with blue lights — prompting SAPS to heighten visibility and react swiftly to such reports.
“The provincial commissioner is satisfied that the members acted within the bounds of the law,” said Gauteng police spokesperson, Brigadier Brenda Muridili.
“The public is encouraged to continue working with police to prevent, combat, and investigate crime.”
The confrontation underscores a growing rift between Johannesburg’s metro police and provincial SAPS structures over jurisdiction and coordination in combating organised crime on the West Rand.
While JMPD insists its officers were performing legitimate duties, SAPS argues its actions were necessary amid rising community fears of impostors posing as law-enforcement officers.
The incident has raised concerns about the fragile cooperation between the two law-enforcement agencies — and whether turf battles could undermine efforts to tackle serious crime in Gauteng.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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