27 Aug 2015

Mr Jacob Kealotswe is a traumatised man after thugs broke into his house earlier this month. The Suping Primary School teacher was awakened by the thud of his door being forcefully opened.

When he tried to get out of bed, three young men stormed through his bedroom door. One carried a machete, another brandished a gun while the third, who seemed much younger, went around the room asking where his laptop was. When he tried to deny that he owns a laptop, the gun wielder slapped him repeatedly and threatened to kill him.

He gave into all their demands. They got the laptop, P850, his new Blackberry phone and all his designer clothes, estimated to cost close to P10 000. They left him with nothing to wear. Mr Kealotswe now fears that his attackers may return and take whatever they want since the incident was the third at the teacher’s quarters since the beginning of the year.

In the month of July, police recorded 17 cases of housebreak-ins in Molepolole only. Molepolole Police Station Commander, Superintendent Tawana Tawana has vowed to reverse the trend of house break-ins in Molepolole.

He said they visit neighbourhoods to create awareness about house break-ins and the importance of forming neighbourhood watch groups. He advised neighbours to look out for each other, and to alert others when they notice suspicious elements.

He said neighbourhood crime watch groups could reduce crime by working with the police.  “People should realise that neighbourhood watch can contribute towards preventing house break-ins. This will make people feel safer in their houses knowing that if anything happens their neighbour will help,” he said. Supt Tawana said they have  visited 266 homes in Molepolole as part of their house-to-house campaign. Ends