Concerningly high crime rate in Thohoyandou for Limpopo police

Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe noted that although the numbers did not look good, the national crime statistics showed that Limpopo was the only province that was deemed to be safe in terms of murder. This was in response to the release of the provincial crime statistics for the third quarter of 2022.

On Friday, February 24, Hadebe was joined in her boardroom in Polokwane by Florence Radzilani, the MEC for Transport and Community Safety.

"We owe it to the residents of this province to establish a safe and secure environment where everyone can live in love and peace without worrying about crime. The Republic of South Africa's Constitution imposes this requirement.

We have to do this by any legal means possible, even if it means we have to sleep on the streets.”

Hadebe said that Limpopo Province still experienced incidents related to vigilantism in which people took the law into their own hands. This, she said, often led to the destruction of property and, in some instances, people’s getting killed or injured.

Out of the 263 murders recorded in the third quarter, 48 were the result of mob justice. “There was a recent incident where the communities of Ha-Gumbu village in the Masisi area torched police vehicles and set 15 houses on fire after the traditional leader of the village was gunned down in front of his house on 12 February. We highly condemn mob justice of any kind and urge communities to allow the police to do their jobs without interference.”

Hadebe said that the high crime rate in the Thohoyandou policing area especially was becoming a serious concern. “We need to adapt to the activities of the day and keep up with the new technology and the needs of the rapidly growing community and businesses, creating a watertight environment that would not allow gaps and divisions between the police and community, because such gaps may allow criminals to take advantage of the broader community and victimise them,” she said.

She said that the “foot soldiers” on the ground needed to display the character of true servants, having the interests of the community at heart and desisting from any corrupt activities. “I’m calling on the men and women in blue of this province to prioritise the community’s interest above their own,” she said.

Meanwhile, Thohoyandou SAPS’s newly appointed station commander, Brigadier Mmboneni Mukwevho, said that they had joined hands with Business Against Crime and also met with traditional leaders and communities to discuss ways of reducing the high crime rate in the area.