Limpopo: Spiking incidents on roads increase in these areas
There has been a spate in incidents involving highway robbers who place spikes in the road at night to puncture vehicle wheels and force motorists to stop, leaving them victims of robbery.
LIMPOPO – During the launch of the Arrive Alive campaign held at Mogalakwena along the N1 on December 7, Transport MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya urged motorists to be vigilant and to avoid stopping next to the road. She confirmed that these robberies occurred along the N1 between Botlokwa and Louis Trichardt and the R524 between Levubu and Louis Trichardt.
“Spiky objects are placed in the road at night, resulting in motorists’ losing control of their vehicles, sometimes causing accidents. Motorists are then robbed of their belongings. 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 explained.
She added that the criminals tend to move from one area to another, focusing on quieter 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 at night, 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.
