Knife Crime Prevalent In Tsolamosese
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday October 26, 2021 06:00
Letsebe said knife crime remains Tsolamosese's horror with the situation worsened by alcohol intake. "We are currently investigating a case in which a 27-year-old man nearly killed his 36-year-old girlfriend after stabbing her with a knife in the ribs in Tsolamosese, Mogoditshane on Saturday afternoon. We do not know what led to the couple's fight but our preliminary investigations have established that the duo had an argument prior to the stabbing," he said.
Letsebe stated that investigations on the matter are ongoing while the victim is currently hospitalised at Princess Marina Referral Hospital. He said the suspect is charged with unlawful wounding following his arrest on the same day and is currently in police custody.
He is likely to be arraigned before the Broadhurst Magistrates Court either today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuseday). In discussing the scope of the problem, Letsebe disclosed that incidents in which people were killed with knives have risen in his policing area with Tsolamosese topping the list. "A knife is Mogoditshane's nightmare.
We always record murder cases in which people die from knife stabbing (wounds). Most of the victims and perpetrators of stabbings are the youth, especially men but of recent women are also involved as victims as gender-based violence escalates," he said. Furthermore, Letsebe said when doing regular stop and search patrols, they always find young men in possession of knives and sachets of marijuana. He stated that it shows that the perpetrators usually stab others whilst high on some kind of drugs.
Letsebe added that knife crime is high and shared concerns, as they do not know why most of the young men prefer to carry knives, especially at night and at entertainment places. "I have established that people who carry knives appear to have confidence (as they can) fight back when they are involved in misunderstandings," he said. The police senior officer further said in the past they pleaded with men to refrain from carrying knives, but despite their patrols, men continue to go around carrying knives.