| 2024/08/06 |
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Media Statement
FREE STATE – As the country commemorates women’s month, the South African Police Service joins the nation in paying tribute to women within its ranks. Today, we introduce the nation to the Provincial Commissioner of the Free State, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane. Lt Gen Motswenyane has 35 years’ service and is currently serving her second term as a Provincial Commissioner, a position she has held since 2016. As a seasoned commander, she has served the organisation in both the operational and support environments as a branch commander, station commander and Deputy Provincial Commissioner Policing. She was appointed Provincial Commissioner of North West in 2016 and in 2019 began a second term as a Provincial Commissioner for the Free State. In addition to 24 provincial components and five districts, she is in charge of supervising and managing policing operations at 111 police stations across the Free State. ACHIEVEMENTS: -She was the first woman in the country to become an Area Commissioner for the SAPS, and thereafter a Deputy Provincial Commissioner Policing and later Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Operations. She holds a National Diploma in Policing, a Bachelor of Technology in Policing, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Genetics. Under her leadership, the following successes were achieved: During the 2023/2024 financial year, fifty-two (52) suspects were arrested for kidnapping and extortion related crimes. In April 2024: Welkom K9 unit members working together with counter narcotics unit received information about a house used for selling drugs. On arrival at the house members found eight packets containing 1000 Mandrax and crystal tablets worth an estimated R300 000, an undisclosed amount of cash. A 32-year-old suspect was arrested for dealing in drugs. 400 boxes of illicit cigarettes worth an estimated street value of R12 million were recovered in Rouxville in July 2024. A 42-year-old foreign national was arrested for possession of illicit cigarettes and a truck was also confiscated. In the period between October 2023 to March 2024, 220 perpetrators were sentenced to 1313 years of imprisonment in the Free State. These includes 25 life sentences and the sentence of Mario Gutsi, who was convicted of 1010 charges that include rape, sexual assault, manufacturing, possession and distribution of child pornography. Gutsi is serving a sentence of 6548 years. In May 2024 a cash-in-transit heist occurred just outside a Mall in Mangaung involving a group of armed suspects. The incident happened at approximately 13:30 on the day when a security vehicle was intercepted by the suspects travelling in a BMW. The SAPS through its multi-disciplinary approach deployed more boots on the ground to support the Detectives in tracing the suspects. They worked around the clock and as a result of their hard work, intelligence driven operation was launched and seven suspects were detected at different places around Mangaung where they were hiding and were apprehend. The money suspected to have been looted during the incident with two firearms, an AK 47 rifle and a pistol thirty rounds and two cars were recovered by the team during this operation. Weekly Shanela operations, some of which are being personally led by Lt Gen Motswenyane, are the source of all these accomplishments. To date, 52 388 suspects have been taken into custody as part of Operation Shanela in the Free State Province. Among them are 10 071 undocumented persons, and 261 firearms have been seized. Lt Gen Motswenyane’s dedication to addressing the unique challenges in policing, particularly as they pertain to women’s roles and safety within our communities, is both inspiring and essential. As we honour Women’s Month, her leadership exemplifies the progress the FS province is registering towards a more inclusive and equitable society. Her commitment to fostering a supportive environment for female officers and ensuring justice and protection for all women underlines the critical role of law enforcement in achieving these goals. Ends
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