Long service awards given to worthy Limpopo police officials
The proud moment, as provincial police commissioner Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe described it, was to honour those who remained committed in the line of duty for 10, 20, 30 and 40 years respectively.
POLOKWANE – Senior staff of the Department of Community Safety, and the police awarded medals to various senior officials last Friday in recognition of their prolonged and outstanding service to the province at a ceremony held at the University of Limpopo’s sportsgrounds.
The proud moment, as provincial police commissioner Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe described it, was to honour those who remained committed in the line of duty for 10, 20, 30 and 40 years respectively.
Some of the dignitaries in attendance included Mayor John Mpe, local traditional leadership, MEC Florence Radzilani, deputy provincial and district commissioners, station commanders and Community Policing Forum chairperson, Frans Kgasago.
The recognition came against the backdrop of two murders in Seshego and Mankweng respectively in recent weeks.
Hadebe said it was commendable that the detectives, some who were honoured on the day of the ceremony, were swift in making a breakthrough within a short space of time.
On October 2, a male Zimbabwean national who rented a room in the area was stabbed to death with a sharp object along the Lepakeng area, in Seshego Zone 2 at around 19:00. Prior to being certified dead on the the scene by emergency medical services, a female passerby heard the man screaming for assistance near a tavern and upon investigation, she found the man bleeding, with a stab wound to the upper body, Col Malesela Ledwaba said.
Anyone with information that can assist with the apprehension of the suspects or tracing the family of the deceased, is urged to contact the investigating officer, Col Meshack Mamoboyi on 082 565 7288.
In another case, in late September, a man was arrested by the Mankweng police for what the police termed the brutal murder of his grandmother in Ga-Mothapo on September 26. The 97-year-old was attacked and stabbed to death with a sharp object at her home and her lifeless body was discovered by a relative at 07:30.
Evidence by the crime intelligence unit linked the 23-year-old to the crime.
“The suspect robbed the deceased of a large amount which she had saved from her monthly social grants. The cash was hidden in the suspect’s bedroom with various exhibits which included a knife found in a pit toilet at a nearby tavern,” Ledwaba confirmed.
