7 gang members arrested after terrorising LTT communities
Six men and one woman linked to violent crimes appear in Tshilwavhusiku Magistrate's Court after police breakthrough.
LIMPOPO – The Tshilwavhusiku police have arrested seven suspects, described as some of the most wanted, feared and notorious gangsters accused of terrorising the Sinthumule and Kutama community.
The group, consisting of six men and one woman currently out on parole, all hail from the Sinthumule and Kutama area. They are alleged to have been behind a string of violent crimes, including housebreak-ins, business robberies, armed robberies and attempted murder.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Vuledzani Dathi confirmed that the arrests took place on August 22 in Muraleni, following an intensive investigation and surveillance operation. Frustrated residents, who had endured a wave of crime in the area, had recently held several community meetings and even threatened to take the law into their own hands if no arrests were made.
Dathi acknowledged these frustrations, noting that some victims had been too afraid to open cases for fear of victimisation. “The residents are encouraged to come forward and lay charges if something had happened to them,” Dathi said.
“Those affected should feel free to open cases with the police.”
He further thanked the community for their role in the breakthrough. “It is only through such partnerships that we as a nation can beat crime. Criminals live in the community, and they are known to you. Please, let us expose them, and they won’t have anywhere to hide,” he urged.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe applauded the officers for the arrests but issued a stern warning against vigilantism.
“I caution community members who perpetuate acts of vigilantism that police will be relentless in hunting them down and bringing them to book. Nobody is above the law, and every offence has its own punishment,” she said.
The seven suspects briefly appeared in the Tshilwavhusiku Magistrate’s Court last Monday. Emmanuel Maphaha, Azwihangwisi Sikhau, Tendani Thavhana, Karabo Lishivha, Rendani Matshikhiri, Tumelo Mokgale, and Thusanani Nelwamondo are all aged between 19 and 25.
The case was postponed to September 1 for further investigation. At the time of going to press, the outcomes of the court proceedings were not yet known.
