- Following vigilante attacks in Limpopo in recent weeks, the police ministry has warned that people who participate in mob justice will be arrested.
- Police Minister Bheki Cele held an imbizo in Jane Furse, Limpopo on Friday.
- A cold case team has been established in the area to review all cases that may have been closed prematurely.
The police ministry has admitted that there are shortcomings in its efforts to address crime but has appealed to the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
This follows increased incidents of vigilantism in parts of Limpopo over the past few weeks.
Police spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said Police Minister Bheki Cele attended a crime prevention imbizo in Jane Furse, Limpopo on Friday.
During the engagement, residents from rural areas voiced their concerns and alleged that there was corruption among police and a slow response from local officers.
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"Some residents have attributed vigilantism to arrested suspects not facing the full might of the law and at times, the slow response times from the police, tasked with policing the expansive rural area," Themba said.
She added:
To address shortcomings and improve service delivery, a cold case team will be established and report to the detectives division at a national level. The unit will review all cases that were closed prematurely.
The minister also ordered the Civilian Secretariat for the Police Service to put together a diagnostic report on the local police station.
"The report, which is expected to be submitted in two weeks, will serve as a guiding tool for the SAPS management in the province, led by provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, to urgently address personnel, resource and service delivery challenges at a station level," Themba added.
[MOB ATTACKS] The #PoliceMinistry has condemned in the strongest terms the acts of #vigilantism in Limpopo and called on South African communities to desist from taking the law into their own hands, no matter the circumstances. pic.twitter.com/JvYI7sASCF
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) September 3, 2022
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate will also investigate allegations of police brutality and corruption that were reported in the area.
In recent weeks in the Sekhukhune policing area, four people were killed in vigilante attacks.
And in the Siloam policing area, outside Thohoyandou, two of three suspected robbers were stoned to death in an apparent mob attack on 17 August, and their bodies were set alight, allegedly by Tshavhalovhedzi village residents.
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Giving details about the incident, Themba, said police reports indicated that the three robbed a 23-year-old woman of her cellphone and other belongings at a local shopping plaza before attempting to kidnap her in full view of bystanders. After she screamed for help, they left her and drove off.
"Community members gave chase and caught up with the robbers after crashing their getaway vehicle. Two of the suspects were killed, and the third suspect was rescued by the police and arrested. The suspects' motor vehicle was also torched during the incident," Themba said.
In the same policing area on Friday, another mob attack claimed the lives of two suspected thieves who allegedly stole a cellphone near a mall.
Themba warned that those who participated in mob justice would be arrested.