LIMPOPO – The communities of Tshiozwi and Gogobole say they are tired of being terrorised by a gang of criminals known as ‘Zwikhaya’.

Fed-up residents have blamed the police for not doing enough to address the escalating crime in these areas.

No confidence in local police

One concerned resident, Rofhiwa Makushu said residents are frustrated with the ongoing crime in the area and blamed what he described as “incompetent policing”.

According to Makushu, residents had expressed a vote of no confidence in the local police station, “since its members seem to be inactive in combatting crime and only concentrate on family feuds”.

He said the number of housebreak-ins, robberies, and theft cases in the area had reached “intolerably high levels”, but that the police were dragging their feet in addressing the problems.

‘Zwikhaya’ gang blamed for wave of housebreak-ins

Residents have placed much of the blame on a group of young boys known as ‘Zikhanya’ and warnings had reportedly been issued to the parents of these boys to take action against the alleged culprits or face consequences.

A community member, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they were simply tired of crime.

“Ours is a peaceful community, but young local criminals commit crimes during the night. People are too scared to walk in the streets. We condemn mob justice, but people are tired of crime,” she said.

She added that the Easter weekend had been especially traumatic, as many robberies had been reported in the area.

Community forum chair slams ‘incompetent policing’

The Zoutpansberg Community Development Forum (ZCDF) chairperson, Patrick Sikhutshi said communities were innocent victims of criminal activities.

He said people were frustrated with crime in the area, with criminals were robbing residents, stealing cables and breaking into homes and businesses.

He too blamed what he termed “incompetent policing” for the increase in crime.

“Criminals have been terrorising the community for a long time, yet the police drag their feet. All we want is a crime-free village,” he said. “Criminals live among us here in the villages, and it is up to us to expose,” he added.

He said that when residents had previously taken action against a gang member involved in an incident in his early twenties, crime had decreased significantly that year, but new gangs were now emerging.

Police promise action 

Police spokesperson Captain Vuledzani Dathi said the police would spare no effort in the fight against crime.

“We will work together with community stakeholders until we defeat crime. We are going to work on the information provided and hope that something positive will come out of this,” he said.

Dathi stressed that residents should not take the law into their own hands, but instead visit the police station and request assistance in forming a Community Policing Forum (CPF).

“Mob justice, including burning so-called suspects, will not solve crime, since it is a criminal activity in itself.”