Limpopo remains one of the safest in the country: Scheepers

Limpopo Deputy Police Commissioner, Jan Scheepers says the province remains one of the safest in the country. Major-General Scheepers was speaking during the release of provincial crime statistics in Polokwane for the second and third quarters of 2024 and 2025 financial year.

While the province has recorded significant drops in 17 major crime categories during the period, the Thohoyandou area is still amongst the highest in the country with soaring rates of crime.

He says the Thohoyandou police station is counted amongst the top 30 policing areas with regard to contacts crimes such as murder, rape and robbery.

Vhembe District Commissioner, Major-General Eddie Van der Walt, says that the rapid mushrooming of liquor outlets is one of the main contributing factors to a high level of crime in the area.

“We have seen that our liquor premises are playing a big part in crime, what we have done is that we are calling them to book now. All the taverns and also the sheebens, we are raiding them daily. With sheebens we have closed 335 and to the liquor premises, the taverns we have closed 627 taverns.”

The province has recorded a 28% drop in murder cases in the third quarter of the period under review. Scheepers says they have attributed the decrease to active community involvement in the fight against crime.

“The more communities get involved in fighting crime, the more people see that when they get involved something is happening. And I think some of the things you can see clearly. I think that instills confidence in the community and then everybody is safe and that is what is happening in this province. People still trust the police because they see that when we get information something has happened. And the more we can build on that, Limpopo will be the safest province for a long time. I don’t see that we will go back, never, we will go forward.”

Limpopo Policing Forums’ chairperson, Frans Kgasago, is calling on the public to report crime in their communities.

“It is our role as community members. You are not being an impipi by reporting crime. You are protecting the nation. Let us give police information so that the criminals that are terrorizing the people will be arrested and charged as soon as possible,” explains Kgasago.

Over 390 cases of grievous bodily harm have been reported in the last two quarters.