Action to ensure safer holidays
Festive Season operations by the Police and Department of Transport and Community Safety are yielding positive results as officials are out in full force to ensure a safer holiday season for people in Limpopo. During respective operations, 31 highly wanted suspects were arrested by Police while traffic officials conducted ten roadblocks across the province where …
Festive Season operations by the Police and Department of Transport and Community Safety are yielding positive results as officials are out in full force to ensure a safer holiday season for people in Limpopo.
During respective operations, 31 highly wanted suspects were arrested by Police while traffic officials conducted ten roadblocks across the province where 36 drivers were arrested for various offences on the weekend.
Departmental Spokesperson Matome Moremi said traffic officials continue to be hard on drunk drivers and that the coming weekend will focus on minibuses and buses as these account for about 10% in fatal accidents.
According to statistics Moremi provided, 6 729 vehicles were stopped and checked and 562 drivers tested for driving under the influence of alcohol on the weekend. Fifteen drivers were charged for overloading, 99 for driving without a licence and 255 speed fines issued. He added that 137 fines were issued for vehicle defects and a further 692 notices issues for undocumented, non-roadworthy or unlicensed vehicles. Thirteen vehicles were discontinued.
Apart from the 36 drivers arrested for drunken driving, traffic officials apprehended ten for reckless and negligent driving, one for excessive speeding and 18 for outstanding warrants.
Meanwhile the Police had several successes during several operations on the weekend.
Provincial Police Spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe indicated that intelligence-led joint operations which were up and running until Monday morning resulted in the arrest of 31 wanted suspects and the recovery of stolen goods worth an estimated R3,5 million.
Two suspects were arrested in Mecklenburg outside Burgersfort for possession of counterfeit shoes. Police received a tip-off from community members who saw two men carrying boxes from a nearby bush to a vehicle. Police responded quickly and made the arrest. Preliminary investigations revealed that the shoes were from Mozambique and destined for the Free State, according to Ngoepe.
Five suspects wanted for a series of housebreaking, theft and house robbery were arrested in the Giyani Cluster and variety of suspected stolen property recovered. The stolen items included five laptops, a mountain bike, a cooler box, five cellphones, duvet covers and blankets, a television, DVD player, grinder and other tools. It is believed that suspects were terrorising communities in and around Phalaborwa, Hoedspruit and Maake.
Also in Giyani, four suspects were arrested on a series of housebreaking and theft incidents committed in Giyani, Vuwani and Thohoyandou areas and a variety of entertainment equipment such as televisions, speakers and a projector were confiscated.
In Makhado a suspect was apprehended for being in possession of a big quantity of illegal cigarettes. In Burgersfort, Thohoyandou, Mankweng, Seshego, Polokwane, and Bela-Bela Clusters a total of 19 suspects aged between 21 and 51 were arrested and will faces charges ranging from hijacking, house and business robbery to armed robbery.
Ngoepe said the suspects are expected to appear before various courts in the province soon.
Story: RC Myburgh
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