Stellenbosch. – The new tactical and K9 Units of the Stellenbosch Municipality have already proven they have a bite to go along with their bark even before the official launch of the units on Thursday 1 October on Die Braak in Stellenbosch.

The province’s newest dog unit has already celebrated various drug-related successes over the past month, despite not even officially being launching. K9 Juno and his handler Anwar Jansen, had their first success in Klapmuts on Saturday 5 September, when Juno came across Mandrax and tik after searching a vehicle.

K9 units are a joint safety project between local municipalities and the Western Cape Government.

Already yielded a return

According to Anroux Marais, MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, the program has already yielded a return, and comes at a critical time when Stellenbosch comes at a “critical time” when areas like Kayamandi and Cloetesville recorded increased levels of gang-related and organised crime.

The Tactical Response Unit (TRU) and K9 Units work in collaboration with local police and private safety partners. The four-legged crime fighters who specialise in sniffing put drugs and firearms are Juno, Ezmin, Jeff and Louis.

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Stellenbosch Mayor Jerey Fasser had a clear message for criminals who “believe they can threaten our communities” and “terrorise the people of Stellenbosch”, and that was that their time is up. “Today we say we will not stand by and watch our communities suffer anymore because behind every crime there is a human being. There was a woman who was killed on her way to work in Cloetesville. She was not a statistic, she was a mother, she was someone’s daughter, she was someone’s sister, she was someone’s friend,” he said of the murder of Harlene Meyer, who was killed on her way to work in 2024.

For locals’ safety

Fasser said despite policing being the mandate of the police, the municipality found the establishment of the TRU and K9 unit necessary for locals’ safety.

K9 units have successfully been established in the Swartland, Mossel Bay, and the Overstrand municipal areas. Through Marais’ department R400 000 was invested during 2025-’26 and a further R1 million during 2026/-’27 to support the K9 Unit. The Stellenbosch Municipality now looks to expand the K9 unit with a breeding programme and help neighbouring municipalities establish their own dog units.

“[The units are] about strengthening the safety ecosystem within Stellenbosch Municipality. It is about visible enforcement. It is about rapid response. It is about supporting our communities; protecting municipal infrastructure and of course our public spaces. But more importantly it is about making sure that those who seek to determine the safety of our communities understand that there is a determined and coordinated response to the safety challenges within our municipality,” Fasser said.

Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde was also in attendance, said in a province looking to create more jobs, draw more investors and have thriving residents, safety remains a daily challenge for making these targets. He added projects such as the Stellenbosch municipal TRU and K9 units are a step in making safer community a reality. Winde’s message warning to criminals, especially drug dealers, was that the units will be sure to sniff them out.

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