Addressing questions about acts of criminality in the provincial legislature, Mashinini said they are going to increase the number of police search and seizure operations in the province in efforts to curb criminal activities. Mashinini alluded that cross-border crime between Free State and Lesotho is another major cause of concern for his department and will be paying more attention to towns near the Lesotho border.

He nonetheless told the House that 669 suspects have been arrested for various crimes in the Free State's Lejweleputswa District in the last three months alone.

Mashinini highlighted that the majority of those arrested in Lejweleputswa were foreign nationals with most coming from Lesotho. He told the House that the increasing number of undocumented foreign nationals in the province is amongst the issues also receiving his department's attention.

His statement comes just over a month after national crime figures revealed the Free State has the highest number of murders caused by illegal mining in the country. Illegal mining was identified as the causative factor in 48 murders.

Mashinini said although they are still grappling with crime in the Matjhabeng region, they have managed to decrease the murder rate in Welkom as a result of the police joint operation and will increase police visibility in crime-ridden areas.

OFM News