The MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, warned motorists to be on high alert after a spate of incidents involving highway robbers who strategically place spikes in the road at night to puncture wheels and force motorists to a stop before they are robbed.
Ramakhanya said that these incidents occurred along the N1 between Botlokwa and Louis Trichardt and the R524 between Levubu and Louis Trichardt. She addressed communities and guests during the launch of the Arrive Alive campaign held at Mogalakwena along the N1 road on 7 December.
"Spiky objects are placed in the road at night, resulting in motorists' losing control of their vehicles; sometimes causing unnecessary accidents. They are then robbed of their belongings," Ramakhanya said. "Law enforcement, united with other enforcement agencies, are intensifying operations at the hotspots. Several policing precincts in the province have also started patrolling to help curb these crimes."
She said that these criminals tended to move from one area to another, focusing on quiet roads. "The police will continue to conduct law-enforcement operations on Limpopo routes to ensure that anyone found placing objects [in the road] is apprehended to face the full might of the law."
Ramakhanya advised motorists not to stop, even if their vehicles' wheels are spiked or punctured. She has expressed her concern over this trend and said she believed that a crime syndicate was responsible for these robberies.