Business robberies on the increase in Seshego despite arrests

POLOKWANE – Police in Seshego said despite the recent arrest of suspects in business robberies, there hasn’t been a considerable reduction in cases.

Spokesperson Ally Maluleke said it appears there are a lot more business robbery masterminds than they had initially thought.

“We are still on high alert. We have not recorded a decrease since the arrest of seven suspects early this month. We thought we would record a 50% decrease but the numbers, in fact, increased, which means we looked in the wrong places. We will continue with our investigations as some robberies happened with the seven suspects in custody.”

The seven were arrested on June 30 and were granted bail on July 1 by the Seshego Magistrate’s Court.

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Seshego police station commander Freddy Shirinda met with residents on June 26 and pleaded with them to collaborate with the police by reporting crimes and organising themselves into effective community policing forums.

Shirinda, who assumed the office late last year, said under his new leadership, they would redress the name given to Seshego in the past when residents had lost confidence in the police and resorted to mobilising among themselves.

“We know about the two vehicles which are suspected of being behind the business robberies and we will not rest until we arrest their owners.”

The chairperson of Seshego Community Against Crime and Gangsterism, Vincent Kunutu told BONUS that in some instances, the robbers harm business owners even when owners do not retaliate in the face of danger.

“Two business owners have been injured through gunshots by suspects who then proceeded to steal from their businesses. Our area is under siege,” Kunutu said.