Rhodes rocked by one murder after seven years of none

AFTER recording no murders for the past seven years, the hamlet of Rhodes, once known as the safest in the Eastern Cape, was rocked by one murder in the last financial year, according to the latest crime statistics.

Rhodes police station spokesman Warrant-Officer Vuyani Mapolisa said: “Unfortunately we recorded one murder [in 2014-15].”

Mapolisa said a 47-year-old man allegedly stabbed a 27-year-old man in a fight over a woman in Zakhele township.

“The incident occurred on the early hours of May 17 last year. The suspect was arrested the same morning and charged with murder.

“He appeared in the Elliot Magi Court and was released on R500 bail. The matter is still on trial at the regional court, and the suspect is out on bail.”

Mapolisa said police reacted immediately after the murder and arranged an imbizo to educate residents in the area on the dangers of alcohol consumption.

“We told residents that alcohol was a major contribution to violent crimes. We really hope it will happen again,” Mapolisa said.

The small town made headlines in 2012 when, for the fifth consecutive year, it achieved a zero rate for murder and attempted murder, making it the safest place in the province.

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The area has also had no reported incidents of robbery with aggravating circumstances in the past nine years, no business burglaries in the past seven years, and no theft from motor vehicles in four years.

Tucked away in the Eastern Cape highlands on the border with Lesotho, Rhodes village is an ideal getaway for adventure-lovers and those seeking a break from city life.

However, according to crime figures released in 2012, stock theft increased from 10 cases to 20 cases.

That crime has since been nipped in the bud as latest statistics show not a single case of stock theft has been recorded in the past two years. —