​Rofhiwa Marubini 
Gauteng Premier, David Makhura joined by Police Minister, Bheki Cele  on Saturday, 20 February  handed over 55 high-performance vehicles to the Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela to strengthen crime fighting efforts  in the province. 
Last year during the State of the Province Address, Premier David Makhura made a commitment that over a period of three years the provincial government  will hand over 4100 high performance vehicles to the South African Police Service ( SAPS),, to fight  crime in the province. 
"Thesevehicles will help with  crimes of car hijacking, truck hijacking and  respond to robberies,," said  Makhura.
The vehicles are fitted with the state-of-the-art technology, blue lights and automated tracking devices  for tracking stolen vehicles as they are driving on the hiway. 
 Makhura also took the opportunity to praise the work done by Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General,Elias Mawela during operation Okae Molao, in soldering-on even during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
"Operation Okae Molao continued even in the midst of COVID-19, sometimes criminals refused to wear masks and sanitise," he added. To date, 4400 police officers and admin staff contracted COVID-19 and 82 policemen and women succumbed  to the virus in the province.
According to the statistics released by Minister Bheki Cele, crime in Gauteng has gone down by 9,5% during the third quarter. 
In addition to the 55 vehicles handed over, the Premier  handed over 11 vehicles to the specialized crime units dealing with gender-based violence and crimes against women and children.
The event also saw the introduction  of 157 traffic officers employed by the Gauteng Provincial Government, which is the first group of the 400 traffic officers to be employed by the provincial government over the next 2 years. 
Minister Bheki Cele said the handed vehicles must be able to follow the criminals wherever they are. 
He also called on the public to be harsh on SAPS members that don't take gender-based violence seriously. Cele reiterated that all those who join the police force should prioritise women and children's safety.