Latest news with #ThembiHadebe
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Village residents living in fear of criminals
Violent crime has gripped Malamulele, where residents fear for their lives as armed criminals continue to terrorise homes and families. Residents of Malamulele near Giyani in Limpopo are living in fear of gun-wielding criminals who attack them in their homes. Recently, community members protested and accused the police of not doing enough to arrest the criminals, who recently shot and killed a 20-year-old young man and raped his 17-year-old sister in Malamulele Extension B. They fled the scene with stolen property including a cellphone, laptop, chainsaw, TV, bicycle and grinder collectively valued at R36 300. Many more housebreakings in Malamulele Authorities said there were many more housebreaking cases reported in the area. Yesterday, Limpopo police provincial commissioner LieutenantGeneral Thembi Hadebe, together with transport and community safety MEC Violet Mathye, visited the area to assess the progress made so far in the fight against crime. 'Crime-related incidents prompted the deployment of multidisciplinary forces in the area to stabilise the situation. The area has experienced a spate of violent crime, including house robberies and other violent incidents in which several homes were targeted,' Hadebe said. ALSO READ: R213m down the drain as Limpopo residents still have no water 'Our team has done a good job as three suspects linked to the recent case were arrested, while 11 other suspects, including foreign nationals, have also been arrested for other crimes committed in the area.' 'We have deployed more officers in Malamulele after realising that crime is on the rise. We have relaunched the Community Policing Forum (CPF) at some of the crime hotspots to make sure that they assist in the fight against crime. 'We are appealing to the community members to join the police as reservists and to be part of the CPF,' he said. Residents under siege Hadebe said the police were doing well to address the situation at Malamulele and neighbouring villages. Several residents who spoke to The Citizen confirmed that they were under siege and they were even afraid to go out on the street at night. 'Things are out of hand here, the crime rate in our area is too high and we are being attacked every day by armed criminals,' said a resident who asked not to be named. ALSO READ: Limpopo's Rain Queen suspends initiation schools in 2025 'People are being raped, killed and robbed of their belongings. 'Every night when we go to sleep, we don't know whether we will make it through the night.' He said the rampant crime in the area started a few years ago when the police started to fight illegal mining in the area. Rampant crime started when police started fighting illegal mining He alleges that most of the criminal activities are committed by foreign nationals and the locals who were involved in illegal mining. 'Since the police interrupted their illegal mining projects, they started to commit crime and terrorise the community members.' Another resident, a single mother, said it was hard for them because every night she feared that they might be attacked by criminals. NOW READ: Daughter pleads guilty to brutal murder of father in Limpopo
Eyewitness News
08-06-2025
- Eyewitness News
Limpopo police busts cross-border smuggling network
JOHANNESBURG - Limpopo police have made a major breakthrough in dismantling a cross-border smuggling network, recovering stolen goods valued at about R3 million. The anti-smuggling task team, in collaboration with private law enforcement agents, intercepted a suspicious truck pulling trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge on Thursday. ALSO READ: SA authorities making inroads in crackdown on cross-border vehicle smuggling syndicate in KZN The vehicle was en route from Cape Town to Malawi. Upon inspection, officers discovered the truck was carrying car parts, disassembled motorcycles, and various other items that had been reported stolen from multiple locations across the Western Cape. Provincial police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba says four foreign nationals, aged between 37 and 50, were arrested for possession of stolen property. "This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks that have been exploiting our borders to traffic stolen goods," said Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe.
The South African
07-06-2025
- The South African
Limpopo police bust truck smuggling stolen goods to Malawi
Limpopo police struck a decisive blow against transnational crime, intercepting a highly organised smuggling syndicate transporting stolen goods from Cape Town to Malawi. At around 2:00 on Thursday, 5 June, the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling Task Team, working with Tshimollo Security and Investigation and Shadow Secure Technology, stopped a Scania truck with superlink trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge. The truck, believed to be part of a broader criminal network exploiting the Beitbridge border post, was found carrying a staggering cache of stolen items following an 18-hour search operation. 'This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks that have been exploiting our borders to traffic stolen goods,' said Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe. Stolen Goods Reveal Chopped Cars and Bikes Investigators uncovered chopped parts of a Ford Ranger stolen in Nyanga, including critical components like the engine and dashboard. Sixty disassembled motorcycles, hidden in drums and containers, were traced to thefts from at least seven police precincts across the Western Cape, such as Bellville, Muizenberg, and Sea Point. Electronic goods suspected to have been stolen, including plasma televisions, sound systems, solar tower batteries, and cell phones, were also added to the haul. All were concealed in an elaborate smuggling setup designed to pass undetected through one of the busiest trade routes in southern Africa. 'The collaboration between our Anti-Smuggling Task Team and private security partners demonstrates the power of coordinated law enforcement efforts,' Hadebe noted. The total value of the recovered goods is estimated to exceed R3 million. Four Suspects to Face Justice Four foreign nationals, aged between 37 and 50, were arrested at the scene. They are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday, 9 June, to face charges related to possession of suspected stolen goods. Authorities have also seized the truck and trailers involved, treating the vehicle as key evidence in an ongoing investigation into cross-border smuggling syndicates. Hadebe assured the public, 'We will continue to target these criminal syndicates relentlessly until they are completely dismantled.' With police ramping up their focus on smuggling syndicates, are our borders finally tightening? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
07-06-2025
- The Citizen
Limpopo police bust R3m cross-border smuggling ring bound for Malawi
Limpopo police have dismantled a sophisticated cross-border smuggling syndicate operating between South Africa and Malawi, recovering stolen goods worth more than R3m. Polokwane Review reports that the breakthrough came in the early hours of Thursday morning when the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling Task Team, assisted by Tshimollo Security and Investigation and Shadow Secure Technology, intercepted a Scania truck pulling superlink trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge. The vehicle was travelling from Cape Town to Malawi via the Beitbridge Border Post. Following an 18-hour joint operation, officers recovered: Chopped parts of a Ford Ranger reported stolen in Nyanga, including the engine, dashboard, radiator, differential and steering wheel 60 disassembled motorcycles concealed in drums and containers, reported stolen at various Western Cape police stations, including Bellville, Mfuleni, Muizenberg, Nyanga, Milnerton, Sea Point and Athlone Stolen electronics, including plasma TVs, sound systems, solar tower batteries and cellphones Scania truck and trailers used in the smuggling operation. Four men, all foreign nationals aged between 37 and 50, were arrested and are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of possession of suspected stolen goods. Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe praised the arrests. 'This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks exploiting our borders. The collaboration between our task team and private partners shows the power of co-ordinated enforcement. We will continue to target these syndicates until they are dismantled completely.' Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
06-06-2025
- The Citizen
Sophisticated smuggling network busted near Polokwane weighbridge
POLOKWANE – Limpopo police have dismantled one of the most sophisticated cross-border smuggling syndicates operating between South Africa and Malawi, recovering stolen goods worth more than R3m. The breakthrough came in the early hours of Thursday morning (June 5) when the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling Task Team, assisted by Tshimollo Security and Investigation and Shadow Secure Technology, intercepted a Scania truck pulling superlink trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge. The vehicle was travelling from Cape Town to Malawi via the Beitbridge Border Post. Following an 18-hour joint operation, officers recovered: Chopped parts of a Ford Ranger reported stolen in Nyanga, including the engine, dashboard, radiator, differential, and steering wheel. 60 disassembled motorcycles concealed in drums and containers, reported stolen from multiple Western Cape police stations including Bellville, Mfuleni, Muizenberg, Nyanga, Milnerton, Sea Point and Athlone. Stolen electronics, including plasma TVs, sound systems, solar tower batteries, and mobile phones. The Scania truck and trailers used in the smuggling operation. Four male suspects, all foreign nationals aged between 37 and 50, were arrested and are expected to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday (June 9) on charges of possession of suspected stolen goods. The provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised the operation: 'This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks exploiting our borders. The collaboration between our task team and private partners shows the power of coordinated enforcement. We will continue to target these syndicates until they are dismantled completely.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
