Police task force conducts raids in Thohoyandou and Louis Trichardt

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A National police task force has been conducting raids in Thohoyandou and Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. The raids come after 19 suspected cash in transit robbers were killed in a shootout with police on Friday.

Five other suspects, who were arrested in connection with a foiled cash in transit heist, appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate’s Court this week. The suspects are believed to have been responsible for several cash in transit heists in three provinces.

Residents are under siege as criminals mark their territory. Fearful residents and businesses narrated stories of being extorted of protection fees. Recently ATM bombings and cash in transit heists have grown common.
Most of these taking place in broad daylight and their videos spreading like wildfire.

Last week’s police shootout with the suspects painted an even deeper network of criminality spanning over three provinces.

Police say they have been hard at work behind the scenes. The men in blue have descended on Thohoyandou and Louis Trichardt. A police national task team started raiding hideouts of suspected kingpins. Several security companies operating in Thohoyandou were also raided.

This owner is pleased with the latest developments by the police.

“These guys they are here for compliance but their presence here is a blessing to our community. Honestly speaking this area has been terrorised by crime. You remember recently I was a victim of being followed, being threatened so then their presence is highly appreciated. We love them, we want them to be here for an extra year,” says security company owner Johnny Khubana.

Police made their presence known in the streets and no one was spared. Residents are calling for more police on the ground as the raids continued.

“What we know is that there is high crime in Thohoyandou. We have seen an increase in series of crimes. We are however appealing for employment of more police officers. Most police stations don’t have enough police officers, that’s why we have seen a lot of crimes happening. Crime is too much, we have too much crime such as burglaries and robberies,” says resident Jeffrey Masutha.

Police have appealed to anyone who experienced extortion to call the crime stop line.