POLOKWANE – The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has welcomed the arrests of more than five thousand suspects during the month of July 2020, including those that continue to commit horrendous crimes perpetrated against women and children.
The arrest of a 44-year-old man by the Police in Levubu outside Thohoyandou yesterday, Saturday 01 August 2020, for allegedly raping two related children aged 07 and 11 at Tsianda village, was one of the notable highlights of a month-long crusade by members of the South African Police Service together with other law enforcement officials in Limpopo which resulted in the arrests of a total of five thousand, four hundred and ninety-nine (5499) suspects.
The suspects were arrested during the ongoing joint and simultaneous operations that were conducted from 01 July 2020 until this morning, Sunday 01 August 2020. The operatives involved included the SAPS members derived from various operational Units such as the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FSC), Endangered Species Unit, K9 Unit, Public Order Police (POPS) Unit, the Provincial Highway Patrol Task Team, the Tactical Response Team (TRT), Crime Intelligence, Detectives, Reservists, members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the Provincial and Municipal Traffic Police, SARS and Customs officials.
The operations were conducted in all five Districts of the Province through roadblocks, tracing of wanted suspects, COVID-19 compliance monitoring, visits at shopping malls as well as stop and searches.
The suspects were arrested for crimes ranging from rape, sexual assaults, violation of protection order, murder, smuggling of illicit cigarettes, possession of counterfeit properties, possession of suspected stolen properties, poaching, possession of dagga and dealing in drugs, possession of endangered and protected species such as pangolins, carjackings, theft of out of motor vehicles, house robberies, stock theft, armed robberies, burglaries, assault GBH, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, illegal immigration to illegal mining as well as the contravention of the regulations under Disaster Management Act.
More than R14 million worth of items such as vehicles (including huge trucks), firearms and ammunition, drugs, illicit cigarettes, chrome, dagga, mining machinery and equipment, cellphones, and liquor were confiscated. Live pangolins, goats and a leopard skin were also seized.
“The latest rapes of two children by a 45-year-old man at Tsianda village on 23 and 27 July 2020, demand the loudest condemnation by everyone and his swift arrest should send a clear message to all men that the police are more than determined to stop this scourge of Gender-Based Violence,” said General Ledwaba. He concluded by thanking all law enforcement officials for their determination in rooting out criminality wherever it is manifested.
The suspect in the rape of the two minors is expected to appear in Vuwani magistrate’s court on Tuesday, 04 July 2020. All other suspects have already started appearing in different courts around the Province.
Over five thousand arrests made in one month with joint clean-up operations https://t.co/f0xWsXB66B #ArriveAlive #Operations #ArrestsMade @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/Nimie3ZK65
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) August 3, 2020