Operation Retshepeng yields positive outcomes

Limpopo Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba, accompanied by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Jan Scheepers have jointly led Operation Retshepeng on the ground of Jane Furse, Sekhukhune District on Friday, 24 July 2026.

Operation Retshepeng is an initiative by government aimed at eradicating crime, corruption, and lawlessness in the country and it has been influential in addressing public health and business compliance issues, targeting illegal trading such as spaza shops selling expired food products and illegal mining.
The operation looks set to restore public trust and enhance community safety in Jane Furse.

Starting her day as early as 4am, Premier Dr. Ramathuba personally spearheaded the operation leading from the front to demonstrate government’s commitment to combat criminal activities in the province.

The raid follows a similar drive recently conducted in Seshego, with plans to roll out the initiative to the remaining districts (Vhembe, Waterberg and Mopani) in the coming weeks.

The operation in Jane Furse saw over 128 illegal immigrants being arrested and amongst those taken into custody were 28 wanted (local) criminals who were apprehended in connections with numerous criminal bombardments including selling of drugs, illicit cigarettes, thefts and sexual assaults.

Abundant undocumented foreign nationals were also detained as part of compliance checks.

Premier Ramathuba heaped her praises to the provincial SAPS for their dedication as she emphasizes the magnitude of rebuilding public trust in law enforcement.

“We want to commend our policemen and women because when we started this operation, our goal was to restore public confidence in the SAPS and the entire security cluster. The only way for them was to do the work and now the community is happy as well. They (Community) also promised that if they see arrests being made, they won’t be tempted to take the law into their own hands.” Dr. Ramathuba praised

Dr. Ramathuba also expressed that through Operation Retshepeng, government is not being xenophobic as foreign countries allude.

“There’s nothing xenophobic about this, South Africa love visitors but visitors must come through proper routes and abide by our laws. What we don’t love is when they commit crimes in our country and being in a country illegally is a crime, when you open businesses illegally is a crime and even when you sell expired stock, that’s also a crime.”
Meanwhile, Major General Scheepers reckons that this unified approach brings together all government departments and law enforcement agencies to work effectively.
“This is all government approach to combat crimes, so we really appreciated the Premier’s support. This operation is not focusing solely on illegal immigrants but to other criminal activities terrorizing our communities, and we shall not stop until this province become a safe province.

Major General Scheepers also issued a stern warning that crime will not be tolerated at any level, cautioning officers within the police service that anyone caught breaking the law will quickly swap their blue uniform for an orange jumpsuit.

“The message is very clear to everyone within our communities; we’re not going to tolerate corruption. If you’re corrupt and if you’re not doing your job and if we find that you’ve colluded with criminals as a policeman and women, we shall change your blue uniform with an orange one. The time for playing is over and we’re not going to tolerate corruption at any level.” Scheepers warned

He further urged residents to report corrupt officials at any level of government and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) at their local police station commanders.

One of the residents of Jane Furse present during the raids on the day, Mr. Thabo Nkwana, extended his gratitude to the SAPS and Limpopo Provincial Government for this initiative.

“We are happy to see government at work; this is what we expect from a committed government. We have been raising our concerns to the Municipality and Police officers to come and expect some buildings and businesses after we suspected illegal activities. Today we have finally seen those shops being closed and we believe this is a first step to the right direction in the fight against crime.” Nkwana said