Vigilantism a contributing factor to spike in murders in Limpopo

A record number of murders in Limpopo are the result of vigilantism, Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe said on Friday.

Hadebe was talking in Polokwane during the release of provincial crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year. These are the cases reported to the police between January 1 and March 31 March this year.

“It is sad to report that 53 murders out of 249 reported during the period under review were as a result of vigilantism,” she said.

Cases of murder in the province increased by 13.7% compared to the previous quarter and vigilantism contributed immensely to the overall number. Arguments and misunderstandings or provocations contributed to 111 of the 249 cases.  

“Nevertheless, we are pleased to report that during this period we managed to arrest 125 suspects for murder and 89 for attempted murder,” she said.

“It is clear from the figures that we need to do more in terms of educating our community about the rule of law and conflict management for us to be proactive in our quest to prevent crime.”

The province recorded a slight increase of 6.4% in sexual offences and put 254 suspects behind bars.

“Our zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence continues to yield positive results. During the period under review, we recorded a 54% decrease in contact sexual offences, a 19% decrease in sexual assault and a 10% increase in rape, with 161 rapists arrested,” Hadebe said.

The province recorded an increase of 0.3% in robbery at residential places and a 9.2% increase in non-residential places. Thohoyandou reported 11 robberies at non-residential premises and Tshilwavhusiku 14 cases. 

It recorded a 13.4% increase in carjacking, with Seshego and Ritavi stations reporting six carjackings each.

Hadebe said the province had intensified its fight against illegal firearms.

“About 194 firearms and ammunition were confiscated in the period under review, compared to 130 of last year,” she said, explaining they have multiple strategies in place which helped produce better outcomes than last year.

Limpopo MEC for transport & community safety Florence Radzilani said they would continue to provide support to the work of the police by ensuring structures such as community policing forums are always intact and functional. 

“Fighting crime is everybody’s obligation, but government has an added responsibility to ensure its citizens are living in a habitable society,” she said.

Thohoyandou and Mankweng police stations feature frequently in most of the categories, she said, which calls for extraordinary measures to be employed in these areas.   

“We are worried about our police stations being counted among the stations with the highest crime levels in the country.”

Radzilani said they were worried about persistent crime levels in Thohoyandou, despite numerous interventions instituted. She said the Capricorn district was another area where concerted efforts should be placed in crime-fighting endeavours.

“During the period under review, we witnessed 37 women and nine children killed by people who were supposed to protect them. A shocking 653 children were sexually molested, while 803 women were sexually violated.”

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