The Limpopo government is going to set up a permanent Special Investigating Unit that will be responsible for investigating ritual murder cases and missing people throughout the province.

This was revealed by Premier Sello Moloto during a media briefing on the report of the task team on ritual murder cases in the province in Polokwane on Friday. Following the recommendations from the task team, Moloto says he found it necessary to appoint a task team that will work like the disbanded SAPS Occult-related crimes unit.

The safety, security and liaison department will also be tasked with the responsibility of leading a multi-agency educational drive to spearhead the fight against ritual killings in the province.

The campaign will involve the Moral Regeneration Movement, religious communities, traditional leaders and healers, business, trade unions, community policing forums, and government structures, together with the Commission for Gender Equality and the South African Human Rights Commission.

"We must implore the SAPS to improve its mechanisms for tracking and searching for missing persons as soon as these cases are reported," Moloto said.

A multi-stakeholder provincial summit on ritual murders will be held on November 16-17 at Thohoyandou in order to look deeper into the underlying causes and reasons for the perpetration of these crimes, including the reason why there is an increase in the number of missing persons.

A rally at Mutale area, outside Thohoyandou, where most of the ritual murder cases are happening, will follow after the summit. Both the national ministers of justice and safety are expected to attend the summit.

Provincial Commissioner Calvin Sengani says the task team will be appointed permanently after special training, but there are police officers who can handle any ritual-related case now.

Moloto says the task team that was headed by Director Ntavhanyeni Mandiwana compiled its report from the 47 alleged cases of ritual murder cases that happened in Vhembe, dating back from 1994 until this year.