“He Knows the Roads”: Veteran Detective Colonel Somo Takes the Wheel of Limpopo’s Taxi Violence Unit

For more than three decades, Colonel Lesibana Sylvester Somo has walked the beat, worked the crime scenes, and chased the leads that turn complex cases into convictions. Now, the seasoned detective has been handed one of the most unforgiving assignments in South African policing: leading Limpopo’s dedicated taxi violence unit.

The appointment, confirmed by provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, places Somo at the helm of investigations into an industry long plagued by intimidation, extortion, and deadly turf wars. It is a promotion in rank and a significant escalation in responsibility, thrusting a methodical investigator into the crosshairs of organised violence.

A Detective Forged in the Former Homelands

Somo’s story in blue began on 1 July 1988, in the former homeland of Lebowa. His first posting was at Lebowakgomo police station, working the community service centre desk. It was here, engaging directly with the public, that he learned the foundational lesson of effective policing: trust is earned case by case.

His progression through the ranks tells the story of a man who gravitated toward the hardest puzzles. He served as detective commander at Mahwelereng, Tinmyne, and Mokopane, earning promotion to lieutenant colonel in 2005. Between 2005 and 2016, he was deeply involved in taxi violence investigations while also managing cold casesthose forgotten files that haunt families and challenge detectives to find justice long after the trail has gone cold.

From Occult Crimes to Life Sentences

In 2016, Somo took on a highly specialised role as provincial commander for Harmful Occult-Related Crimes, a portfolio requiring both investigative rigour and cultural sensitivity. By 2023, he was overseeing Homicide and Missing Persons for the entire province.

Under his command, cases that could have slipped into the backlog instead ended in life sentences. In January 2023, a conviction was secured in the Botlokwa murder case. Two months later, a Thohoyandou killer was sentenced to life imprisonment. These outcomes reflect Somo’s core philosophy: meticulous case management, forensic discipline, and an insistence that victims’ families deserve closure.

The Taxi Violence Challenge

Somo now enters an environment where the enemy is often invisible, witnesses are terrified, and the crime scene is frequently a public road. Taxi violence in Limpopo is not merely about competition for routes; it is entangled with extortion syndicates, political patronage, and a code of silence enforced by lethal retribution.

His task is twofold: to crack existing cases and, perhaps more critically, to rebuild public confidence that reporting a crime will not result in retaliation. His career arcfrom a community service centre in Lebowakgomo to the province’s most challenging investigative commandsuggests a leader who understands both the streets and the docket.

What Comes Next

Colonel Somo holds a Diploma in Policing from Technikon RSA, majoring in Crime Investigation and Police Managementqualifications now matched by the weight of expectation. The taxi industry moves millions of people daily; its dysfunction endangers commuters and drivers alike.

His appointment signals that provincial police leadership is betting on experience over flash, on dogged investigation over dramatic raids. Whether that bet pays off will be measured not in press conferences, but in convictionsand in the quiet relief of communities who have learned to flinch at the sound of a minibus taxi.

{Source: IOL}

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