900 arrested in crackdown

More than 900 alleged criminals were arrested, a dozen illegal firearms were confiscated and suspected stolen goods were recovered during South African Police Service (Saps) operations in Limpopo this week, police said yesterday.

Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nneke Jim Ledwaba, deputy provincial commissioners, unit heads and policing cluster commanders went out in full force to lead the joint operations, Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said.

The operations were intelligence-driven and included roadblocks, stop and searches and raids on illegal liquor outlets.

A total of 927 suspects, aged between 18 and 49, were arrested for offences including assault, theft, housebreaking, murder, illegal immigration, armed robbery, possession of drugs and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, Ngoepe said.

In the Maake area of Tzaneen, three men were arrested for the rape and robbery of a 68-year-old woman. In the Lephalale policing cluster, a 20-year-old was arrested for possession of 68 sachets of nyaope and dagga. In the Bela Bela cluster, five suspects, aged between 26 and 31, were arrested for possession of suspected stolen property, murder and business robbery.

In the Burgersfort policing cluster, two men, aged 31 and 36, were arrested for business burglaries and a large quantity of suspected stolen property was recovered.

The items recovered included 12 illegal guns, nyaope and dagga, seven suspected stolen vehicles, 20 cellphones, two plasma TVs, a tractor, laptops, car radios, rolls of copper wire, computers and household appliances, garden equipment, cash, airtime vouchers and cigarettes, Ngoepe said.

In total, 4 099 people and 1 484 vehicles were searched, 126 cars were tested, 47 houses were searched and 36 shebeens were raided. – ANA