Limpopo’s deputy police commissioner, Maj Gen Benny Ntlemeza, has vowed to leave no stone unturned in tracking down people impersonating police service members and those involved in vicious crimes in the Thohoyandou and areas surrounding Shayandima.

Ntlemeza addressed members of the police service in Thohoyandou on Tuesday morning and later addressed the community of Block F in the evening. His visit to the area comes in the wake of violent crimes such as robberies at houses and businesses and also carjackings.

In one month alone, the residents of Thohoyandou Block F suffered 10 armed robberies. On Monday, a businessman in the Thohoyandou area was shot and killed in a robbery that took place at one of the houses in the township.

Speaking at the meeting held at the Thohoyandou Technical High School, Ntlemeza assured the residents that crime could be done away with if the community worked hand in glove with the police. “We are here as a result of crimes that are taking place in these areas. We are here to send a message that crime will not be tolerated and from what we learnt, robberies and carjackings are on the increase. We are going to expose all those who impersonate police officers and rob our communities. Some are already behind bars,” he said.

He further said that he had issued a directive to police chiefs that they should regularly visit churches and ask for slots where they could inform the community about crime.

Community leader Ayub Madina said the community was fed up with crime. “We have had so much serious crimes in the area. We had the chance to speak directly with the deputy commissioner and the feedback is encouraging,” he added.