Limpopo Police Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, said the South African Police Service in Limpopo has made significant strides in reducing crime, applauding the tireless efforts of men and women in blue.
She was presenting the provincial crime statistics for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the 2024/2025 financial year as they were officially released on 3 March 2025 at the Landbank Building in Polokwane.
In attendance, notable prominent guests included the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Ms. Violet Mathye; HOD for Transport and Community Safety, labour union representatives, and community leaders.
Hadebe emphasized a decline in most crime categories, attributing this success to targeted high-density operations (Shanela/Kukula) in hotspot areas and awareness campaigns in crime-ridden communities. She also attributed the crime-combating efforts to the enlistment of 553 police constables who reinforced the capacity of various police units, thus enhancing visibility and crime prevention.
Key stats highlights
A total of 30,063 suspects were arrested in the 2nd Quarter (July – September 2024) and 28,946 in the 3rd Quarter (October – December 2024). Overall crime decreased by 3.1%, with property crime down by 0.5% and other serious crimes down by 6.8%.
Murder increased by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter but saw a significant 29.5% decrease in the 3rd quarter. The province also recorded a decrease in rape cases by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter and 2.7% in the 3rd quarter.
Sexual assault increased by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter but saw a 0.8% decrease in the 3rd quarter.
A total of 1,170 years of imprisonment and 47 life sentences were handed down to gender-based violence offenders.
Robbery and Property Crimes: Non-residential robbery decreased by 4.7% in the 2nd Quarter and 7.6% in the 3rd quarter.
Common robbery declined by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter and 4.8% in the 3rd quarter.
House and commercial robberies remain a concern, prompting calls for increased community involvement in crime prevention.
Over 3,400 drug-related arrests were effected in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
Hadebe emphasized the importance of community-police collaboration and urged residents to report criminal activities.
Ms. Violet Mathye, the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, praised SAPS for their steadfast dedication to reducing crime and upholding peace in Limpopo. She went on to say that any murderous death is excessive.
“We note the relative calm in the taxi industry, thanks to the role players being the departmental taxi unit and SANTACO. We have learnt that discussions are a solution to conflicts rather than through the barrel of a gun. We, however, are concerned with the new phenomenon of extortion by the taxi patrollers who force motorists to pay a fee if they are found to be loading passengers,” said the MEC.