Limpopo has been rocked by three murder cases involving teenagers in less than two weeks.
Authorities in the province have raised concerns after two 17-year-old girls from different areas were arrested on murder charges at the weekend.
Last week, Sowetan reported that a 17-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the killing of 14-year-old Dimakatso Tlaka in Motetema, near Groblersdal. The boy is expected to make his second appearance at the Groblersdal Magistrate's Court today.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said one girl from Sofaya village in GaSekororo turned herself in on Sunday morning after she allegedly stabbed a 21-year-old man who she said tried to rape her.
Ngoepe said the girl was on her way to a local tavern on Saturday night when the man allegedly attacked her.
"She fought back, overpowered him and disarmed him of his knife and stabbed him to death," he said.
Ngoepe said the man was found lying dead on the side of the road by police officers who were doing a routine patrol.
He said another 17-year-old girl from Tshivhungululu village, outside Thohoyandou, was arrested in connection with the murder of her 60-year-old grandmother.
He said the teenager allegedly assaulted the woman after the granny reprimanded her for bunking school.
Ngoepe said the woman was hospitalised after the teenager apparently left her lying on the floor after the assault. The woman died at the hospital.
He said the cases reflected the social problems in communities around the province.
"This is a societal problem. We need to join hands and look deeper into the root cause."
He urged parents to mind the whereabouts of their children, saying it was disturbing that a minor was walking to a tavern at night.
Spokeswoman at the provincial department of social development Adel van der Linde said cases being handled by its social workers reflected a worrying trend of young people committing violent crimes.
Van der Linde said they were now seeing a higher level of child offenders accused of assault with the intention to do grievous bodily harm, murder and rape. "You can see the trend. It is like they have graduated from less serious crimes to more violent crimes."
Van der Linde said factors such as dysfunctional families and substance abuse were contributing to the problem.
She said communities were also challenged by the fact that there was a dire lack of recreational facilities and that in some areas there were more liquor outlets than schools.
Teens on wrong side of law
Limpopo has been rocked by three murder cases involving teenagers in less than two weeks.
Authorities in the province have raised concerns after two 17-year-old girls from different areas were arrested on murder charges at the weekend.
Last week, Sowetan reported that a 17-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the killing of 14-year-old Dimakatso Tlaka in Motetema, near Groblersdal. The boy is expected to make his second appearance at the Groblersdal Magistrate's Court today.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said one girl from Sofaya village in GaSekororo turned herself in on Sunday morning after she allegedly stabbed a 21-year-old man who she said tried to rape her.
Ngoepe said the girl was on her way to a local tavern on Saturday night when the man allegedly attacked her.
"She fought back, overpowered him and disarmed him of his knife and stabbed him to death," he said.
Ngoepe said the man was found lying dead on the side of the road by police officers who were doing a routine patrol.
He said another 17-year-old girl from Tshivhungululu village, outside Thohoyandou, was arrested in connection with the murder of her 60-year-old grandmother.
He said the teenager allegedly assaulted the woman after the granny reprimanded her for bunking school.
Ngoepe said the woman was hospitalised after the teenager apparently left her lying on the floor after the assault. The woman died at the hospital.
He said the cases reflected the social problems in communities around the province.
"This is a societal problem. We need to join hands and look deeper into the root cause."
He urged parents to mind the whereabouts of their children, saying it was disturbing that a minor was walking to a tavern at night.
Spokeswoman at the provincial department of social development Adel van der Linde said cases being handled by its social workers reflected a worrying trend of young people committing violent crimes.
Van der Linde said they were now seeing a higher level of child offenders accused of assault with the intention to do grievous bodily harm, murder and rape. "You can see the trend. It is like they have graduated from less serious crimes to more violent crimes."
Van der Linde said factors such as dysfunctional families and substance abuse were contributing to the problem.
She said communities were also challenged by the fact that there was a dire lack of recreational facilities and that in some areas there were more liquor outlets than schools.
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