The Limpopo police arrested a total of 1 796 suspects during several joint operations in the province which ended on Monday.
The suspects were arrested for various offences ranging from burglaries, business robberies, possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, possession and dealing in drugs to possession of unlicensed firearms, contravention of the Disaster Management Act and contravention of the Immigration Act. The arrests took place as part of Operation Thata Zonke and tactical intelligence-led operations by other police units, such as the police's Highway Patrol, POCC, Crime Intelligence, Crime Prevention and Public Order Police Unit.
The operations were conducted through roadblocks, patrols, stop and searches and the tracing of wanted suspects. In the process, they recovered or confiscated a variety of items, such as six firearms, five suspected stolen vehicles, counterfeit cigarettes, 60 dangerous weapons - including 33 knives - a large amount of dagga, 177 dagga plants and other drugs, such as cocaine, crystal meth, cat, and nyaope. In total, 1 860 fines were issued for contravention of the Road Traffic Act.
In the Waterberg District, a 51-year-old man was arrested for carjacking, murder, and business robbery. Closer to home, in the Vhembe District, two suspects aged 25 and 27 were arrested by the Thohoyandou police, following an operation to track down armed suspects involved in a series of business robberies in the district. The suspects were linked to seven cases of business and house robbery. In one of the incidents, the suspects allegedly attacked a filling station just before midnight. They stabbed one of the petrol attendants with a sharp instrument, assaulted his colleagues and robbed them of an undisclosed amount of money before they fled the scene.
Meanwhile, the police's Limpopo Highway Patrol Team arrested 69 suspects for possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, house robberies, possession of illicit cigarettes, contravention of the Immigration Act, possession of dagga, and possession of drugs. They also confiscated three cars during their ongoing clean-up operations, which they conducted in Mankweng, Mahwelereng, Hlogotlou, Modjadjiskloof, Thabazimbi and in the Sekhukhune District. One of the recovered vehicles in Thabazimbi was linked to a farm attack that occurred in the area.
"The suspects arrested during these operations are expected to appear before different magistrate's courts soon across the province," said provincial police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe.