Women’s Month marred by wave of violence in Limpopo
Police in Limpopo have opened multiple murder, rape and kidnapping cases involving women and girls in the first nine days of August alone.
POLOKWANE – Limpopo police have opened multiple murder, rape and kidnapping cases involving women and girls during the very month meant to honour them, according to a series of SAPS statements issued since August 1.
Women targeted in murders and kidnappings
An unidentified woman was found dead behind a church in Ga-Madiba village on August 9, with multiple stab wounds to her body. Police are appealing to the public to help identify her.
In Dennilton, a 26-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped from her home by two armed men on August 1 while her boyfriend was away. Her body was found near the Ntwane soccer ground the following morning with multiple gunshot wounds. The motive remains unknown.
A 34-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped and raped in Polokwane on August 9 after accepting a lift while hitchhiking. The suspect allegedly demanded a R6 500 ransom from her mother before he was tracked down and arrested. He is expected to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court today (August 11). Police say he may be linked to four further kidnapping cases.
A 24-year-old suspect, Nakedi Samuel Ramollo, appeared in court last week in connection with the kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Anna Ramollo, a person living with a disability, whose body was found in a shallow grave near Bergeneck Road in May. He was arrested in Polokwane on August 5 and remanded in custody, with the matter postponed to September 15.
READ MORE: Zebediela murder suspect tracked down, arrested in Polokwane
Children among the victims
Several of the cases reported this month involve minors.
A manhunt is underway after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a relative in the Vhembe district on August 8. The incident came to light after the victim’s mother, who had been attending Women’s Day celebrations, returned home and was informed by family members.
In a separate incident the same night, three sisters were allegedly abducted and raped by two men in a rural area of the Mopani district before being dropped near a filling station.
In an unrelated case, a 49-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping his 16-year-old daughter over an extended period, after a church member alerted a pastor to concerns at the family home.
A 74-year-old man was arrested at his Seshego home on August 4 for allegedly raping two young girls, aged five and eight, who live with him. He appeared before the Seshego Magistrate’s Court on August 6.
READ MORE: Seshego man (74) arrested over child rape
Separately, a 56-year-old man with 10 previous convictions was sentenced to life imprisonment on August 5 by the Polokwane Regional Court for raping a 12-year-old girl in Seshego in 2023.
Police respond with targeted operations
Amid the spate of cases, police in Waterberg’s Villa Nora area marked Women’s Month with Operation Basadi on August 8 – an enforcement drive led entirely by female officers that resulted in 109 arrests for offences including illegal immigration, illicit liquor sales and drug possession. “Basadi,” meaning women, reflects the operation’s aim of putting female officers at the forefront of policing efforts this month.
Limpopo provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers said the cases reported this month underline the scale of gender-based violence in the province.
“Gender-based violence has no place in our society,” he said. “We urge the community to come forward with any information that may assist the police in apprehending the perpetrators.”
The cases stand in stark contrast to the messaging of Women’s Month, which began with calls for the protection and empowerment of women and girls across the province and beyond.
Anyone with information relating to any of these cases is urged to contact their nearest police station, Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or the MySAPS App.
