WAR AGAINST RAPE

Polisie in Mokopane is besig om ‘n verbete stryd teen inbrekers te veg, maar gaan die hele gemeenskap se hulp nodig hê om dié misdaad die nek in te slaan. Tydens die Mokopane Gemeenskaps-polisiëringsforumvergadering Dinsdag het die polisie aangedui dat huisbraak veral in Chroompark ‘n probleem is en dat dit vinnig besig is om uit te brei na ander woonbuurte in die dorp toe.
Die inbrekers, wat vermoedelik deel vorm van ‘n sindikaat, is veral op soek na groot platskerm televisiestelle, skootrekenaars en ander waardevolle elektriese toebehore. In somige gevalle steel hulle ook kruideniersware, maar dit is eerder die uitsondering as die reël, sê polisiewoordvoerder, Irene Masingi.
Die inbrekers is goed georganiseerd, weet wat hulle doen en waarna hulle op soek is. Hulle vlug meestal met hul buit in voertuie, so inwoners word gevra om bedag te wees as hulle in die nag verdagte voertuie in hul buurte waarneem.
Masingi sê woonbuurte met ‘n werkende buurtwagstelsel in plek blyk die inbrekers se aanslae vry te spring. Nylpark en Protea park waar inwoners mekaar met fluitjies waarsku as hul onraad merk, het byna geen sulke misdaad nie, sê sy.
Mokopane se waarnemende stasiebevelvoerder, Lt.Kol. Mantjane moedig inwoners aan om buurtwagte op die been te bring. Die Mokopane polisie sal dan ondersteuning aan sulke buurtwagte bied wanneer daar patrollies gedoen word. Enigiemand met inligting oor die aktiwiteite van inbrekers word gevra om vir Lt Kol Mantjane te kontak by 082 565 8381.
War against rape

The police in Limpopo released a statement this week warning rapists that they have had enough with the escalating number of rapes being committed on a daily basis. “We have now declared war against rapists,” said Brigadier Hanwani Mulaudzi.
The announcement was made when statistics showed that 121 cases of rape were reported in the province since the beginning of the year.
“The police will from now on act without any leniency in the application of the law and some rapists might face charges of attempted murder, in accordance with the provision of the Sexual Offenses Act , Act no 32 0f 2007 as amended,” Mulaudzi added.
According to Mulaudzi, all rape suspects will be subjected to an HIV test and if the results come back positive a charge of attempted murder will be added to the original rape charge. A murder charge will be imposed on a serial rapist whose victims have died due to HIV related complications.
Limpopo Provincial Commissioner Lt.Gen. Simon Mpembe has called upon the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units and all investigating officers dealing with rape cases to be more ruthless and unsympathetic when dealing with rapists.
“We cannot have a situation where women are living in fear of being raped. Although we are urging our women not to hitch hike and walk alone in deserted or isolated areas, we are seriously also re-evaluating our strategies to prevent rapes. Rapists must be pre warned that they will meet the full might of the law,” Mpembe said.
He added that rape victims must report a case immediately. “We have people who are trained to deal with rape victims so no one should feel embarrassed or ashamed to open a rape case. Once a man forces himself on you and you do nothing about it, chances are that he will do it again to someone else,” Mpembe added.