Limpopo Premier condemns gender-based violence

Limpopo Premier Chupu Stanley Mathabatha has strongly condemned all forms of violence against humanity, especially women and children.

This is after the province reported an increase in incidents of violence in the past few days.

“These inhumane acts seem to have continued to rise in the province, especially during the 2023 festive season. The province is mourning the deaths of women, children, and men whose precious lives were mercilessly cut short,” said the Premier in a statement.

The recent spine-chilling incidents involve the gruesome discovery of the body of an 18-year-old girl on Monday, who was murdered in an abandoned house at Mokomene, Ga-Thoka village, under the Botlokwa policing precinct.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has since appealed to the community to provide valuable information to assist the police with its investigation.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), their members received a complaint about the lifeless body of a woman at an abandoned house and rushed to the scene.

“Upon arrival, they found the body of the woman in an advanced state of decomposition. The deceased’s identity will be released in due course as the investigation is still in its preliminary stages,” the SAPS statement read, adding that the motive behind the gruesome act has not yet been established.

The Premier’s Office also raised concerns about the heartless murder of Dr Johannes Mehlape, who was the Department of Education Circuit Manager of the Lebopo Office in the Capricorn District.

According to reports, Mehlape was gunned down at his home during an alleged robbery on 28 December 2023 at night after two unknown suspects accosted the victim and his two children.

“Enough is enough; we cannot let our lives continue to be cut short in this manner. I implore all to work with the police and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators of these atrocities are arrested.

“Let us join hands in combating these barbaric acts and uproot them in our communities,” Mathabatha stressed.

He has since urged residents not to look away, but to report crime.