20 Aug 2024

Three suspects have been arrested and charged with murder in a case which was reported on June 23 at Machaneng police station involving a crime prevention activist, Minister of Defence and Security, Honourable Kagiso Mmusi has said.

Minister Mmusi said this in his response to a parliamentary question recently.

He said, the incident happened when a group of anti-stock theft crime prevention were following information of stealing stock at a certain place in Sefhare, where fight then ensued between the volunteers and the suspects resulting in one of the volunteers getting injured and ended losing his life upon arrival at Sefhare Primary Hospital.

Mr Mmusi noted that the ministry had not considered rationalising community policing cluster and anti-stocktheft volunteers, saying the latter formed part of the overall community policing cluster arrangement and therefore the two were inseparable.

He further indicated that the ministry was aware of anti-stocktheft crime prevention volunteers or Mephato in the Sefhare/Ramokgonami constituency through community policing in the area.

“I have to state that my ministry has always been supportive to crime prevention structures in the country including that of Sefhare/Ramokgonami constituency,” he said.

In addition, Minister Mmusi shared that there were 750 active community policing committees with several members around the country.

“These are members of the community who volunteer to protect their property and livestock as such it will not be sustainable to pay them allowance that is being paid to police volunteers,” he explained.

The Minister said the police volunteers were paid under Ipelegeng programme which was manned by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

“Community policing structures include volunteerism and they are different categories of volunteerism such as neighbourhood watch, anti-stocktheft volunteers and business community clusters,” he added.

Member of Parliament for Sefhare/Ramokgonami, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang had wanted to know if the minister was aware of the recent unfortunate incident where one of the anti-stock theft volunteers lost his life during a violent confrontation with suspected livestock thieves.

Dr Gobotswang had also asked the minister if he was aware of the existence of anti-stock crime prevention volunteers of Mephato in the Sefhare/Ramokgonami constituency and what he was doing to support as well as facilitate them in their noble endeavour. ENDS