A multi-agency police operation has descended on liquor outlets in Mankweng, outside Polokwane, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of illegal cigarettes and dagga.
The coordinated raids are part of a broader provincial safety strategy focused on two key objectives: enforcing liquor laws to create a quiet environment for students writing final exams and laying the groundwork for a safe festive season.
On the scene, a district commissioner for the South African Police Service, Major General Lesiba Mashilo, detailed the operation’s early successes.
“Ever since we started with this operation, we have actually achieved quite a number of successes,” Major General Mashilo stated. He confirmed arrests for dealing in drugs and the confiscation of a backpack containing numerous small packages of dagga.
The police chief emphasized a zero-tolerance approach. “We are trying to send a message to the residents of Mankweng… that we are not going to allow anything this time. We want to make sure that every citizen who is in Mankweng feels safe and is indeed safe.”
He reported that over 60 suspects had been arrested thus far, with police targeting illegal immigrants, dangerous weapons, and outlets causing excessive noise.
The significance of the operation was further explained by Major General Jan Scheepers, who confirmed that the Mankweng raids are being duplicated across all five districts of Limpopo.
“What you see happening tonight in Mankweng is actually happening all over the province,” Scheepers said. “We’ve promised our learners that we’ll create an environment where they can study… That’s our future leaders.”
He appealed to business owners and community members to respect students by maintaining a quiet environment.
Beyond the academic calendar, the operation is a direct buildup to the festive season, a period when Limpopo expects an influx of visitors. Major General Scheepers assured that the heightened police presence is not a one-off event.
“This will be on a daily basis,” he said, outlining plans for increased roadblocks, vehicle control points, and stop-and-search operations on highways and in villages. “We’re going to take policing to the community… We approach a zero tolerance approach to everybody.”
In a stark warning to potential criminals, Major General Scheepers was unequivocal: “If you come to commit crime in this province… You will not see Christmas outside. You will see it inside the jail.”
The operation’s scope was also highlighted by a separate, foiled cash-in-transit robbery in Thohoyandou. While not part of the Mankweng raid, police confirmed that a shootout between suspects and a security company resulted in one suspect being killed and a firearm recovered. Three other suspects remain at large.
