593 arrested for contravening the Disaster Management Act
The arrests form part of 1 750 arrests made during recent joint operations by Limpopo police
LIMPOPO – Police in the province have arrested 593 more people for contravening the Disaster Management Act, according to Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe.
Ngoepe said those arrested are among 1 750 people who were arrested during recent intelligence-led joint operations conducted across the province until this morning.
“The 593 arrests were for offences that include failing to wear masks in public spaces, non-compliance to the curfew and liquor trade,” he added.
Ngoepe said the other arrests were for various offences such as possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, stock theft, malicious damage to property, arson and murder.
“The operations were conducted through stop-and-searches, road blocks and tracing of wanted suspects, which comprised of members derived from the Crime Intelligence Unit, Public Order Police Unit, the Saps Limpopo Highway Patrol Team, the Stock Theft Unit, detectives, the Narcotics Unit, as well as support from the SANDF and the provincial and municipal traffic police,” he explained.
Police recovered:
- 14 firearms
- Six motor vehicles
- 6 398 illicit cigarettes
- 57 dangerous weapons including 41 knives
- 243g of dagga, 32 dagga plants, 105g of cat and 14g of nyaope
- 1 361 813ml liquor
A total of 893 summons’ were issued for the contravention of the Road Traffic Act and six shebeens were closed.
Ngoepe highlighted some of the arrests:
“The Provincial Stock Theft Unit arrested a 46-year-old man yesterday. They recovered six cattle about to be sold at an auction in Gauteng,” he explained.
The recovered livestock was allegedly stolen from a kraal in the Blood River village in the Seshego policing area outside Polokwane on 5 February. The trailer, which was used to transport the cattle, was also confiscated.
Meanwhile, in the Vhembe district, two men were arrested in Thohoyandou during operation ‘Tight Grip’. The men, aged 24 and 25, were arrested for a series of burglaries and business robberies.
“In Duthuni village, a 43-year-old man was arrested for dealing and possession of drugs and 818 sachets of nyaope were confiscated,” he added.
In a separate incident, police recovered a suspected stolen Ford Ranger and arrested three men, aged between 43 and 58, at the Beitbridge Port of Entry.
“They were found in possession of the vehicle’s fraudulent documents while trying to cross the border post,” he said.
The arrested suspects have already started appearing before various magistrate’s courts throughout the province, Ngoepe concluded.
