MSHOLOZI – Reported cases of common assault, assault with the intent of causing grievous bodily harm, murder, rape, theft of motor vehicles, housebreaking and robbery are on the increase in this soon-to-be formal settlement.
This was revealed by the White River Police Station’s commander, Capt Rekios Mogane during a crime-awareness campaign on June 21.
“Every day we receive reports of stolen vehicles from this area, besides the usual issues of stealing and the selling of other people’s stands. The question is, what are you doing as a community to stop this trend? Who should be blamed for all of this?” he asked.
Mogane urged the community to cooperate with the police in fighting all forms of criminal behaviour and eradicating crime in the area. He also urged residents to stop buying stolen goods and to assist the police with information that would lead to the arrest of perpetrators.
WO Gugu Phiri, spokesperson for White River police, added that Msholozi was at the top of the list when it came to problematic areas in the station’s policing areas and hence they held the crime-awareness campaign to find amicable ways of dealing with the problem.
She added there were a lot of schoolchildren who apparently roamed the streets during school hours. “Most youngsters are not going to school and there are no social activities to keep them busy. Rape cases are common among children aged 10 to 12, hence we call on the community to report all forms of criminal behaviour to the police,” she said.
She added the station was receiving a high number of assault cases, mostly involving people who quarrelled at taverns and other liquor outlets.
“Last week a 20-year-old man was stabbed to death after an argument with his 28-year-old stepdad. They were returning from a drinking spree.”
The suspect in this case had been arrested and appeared for his bail application in the White River Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The outcome was not known at the time of going to print.
It was heard during the event that a majority of mothers and caretakers still bathed rape victims before taking them to the police station, an act which was condemned by the police as it erased the evidence to tie perpetrators to the incidents.
Mbombela Mayoral Committee member (MMC) Cllr Patrick Nkala condemned all forms of criminal behaviour and urged the youth to make use of the government’s available opportunities to empower and create jobs for themselves.
He also urged the community to be responsible when drinking and not to violate one another’s rights. He also urged parents to be good role models in the upbringing of their children. “Teach them to be responsible citizens of the country,” he said.
Nkala also thanked parents, teachers and church leaders for teaching good moral values to young children. He also echoed Mogane’s sentiments that fighting crime should be everyone’s responsibility. He also urged the community to stop buying stolen goods and to help the police with information that will lead to successful apprehensions.
“Since you are to be a township-urbanised area, such a high statistic of crime is not a good sign. This area must be a model to other areas and the solution lies within you to eradicate all forms of crime,” he added.
The launch of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) also took place and it vowed to cooperate with the police. Members of the community were also urged to report any criminal activities to the White River Police Station on 013-750-0888 or the station commander on 082-449- 0332. Other stakeholders and government departments including Nicro, Sanca, Child Welfare, FCS, DSD, Home Affairs and the Mozambican Consulate also delivered messages of support.
