The severely burnt body of a man was discovered under shack debris in Cross Roads informal settlement, Katlehong North, on August 20.

It is alleged that the man was accused of stealing two puppies and assaulted by a group of men, days before his death.

This was revealed by community members who were interviewed by Kathorus Mail.

A community member, who asked not to be named, said the deceased was accused of stealing puppies by a man who was accompanied by a group of men on August 18.

“A man came here, accusing the deceased of stealing his puppies. Thereafter, they assaulted him as a group, and while he was injured, they loaded him on a bakkie. That was the last time I saw him, up until he was discovered under the rubble of his burnt shack,” the anonymous source shared.

He said the deceased had been living in the area for years and was not a problematic person.

“The deceased was a good person who didn’t cause any chaos in the community. He didn’t have a reputation for stealing, and he didn’t deserve to die in this manner.

“As community members, we don’t know what caused the fire that engulfed the shack of the deceased. We never noticed the shack being engulfed by the raging flames. We were all surprised to see his charred body discovered in the debris.”

Another community member said the man who accused the deceased of stealing the two puppies was angry when he confronted him on the afternoon of August 18.

“The victim vehemently denied stealing the puppies, but the man insisted that the deceased stole the two puppies. He accused the deceased of stealing his livestock as well, and he said he has been stealing from him for years.”

He added that the community members didn’t see the shack engulfed by the fire.

“We don’t know what happened, and we didn’t notice the shack engulfed in flames. We only found his body in his burnt shack in the morning,” said the community member.

The City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) spokesperson, William Ntladi, said a charred body of an adult male was found under the burnt corrugated sheets at a Katlehong North informal settlement.

“DEMS firefighters from Thokoza fire station swiftly responded to the scene at exactly 10:15. The firefighters responded with a water tanker fire-engine, and upon arrival, the shack was found extinguished and dismantled,” Ntladi shared.

He added that the charred body was found under the burnt shack debris.

“The identity of the 35-year-old is being withheld for security and safety reasons. As per information received on the scene, the incident happened during the night, and the firefighters were only notified about this in the morning. It’s alleged to be a mob justice incident.

“The Katlehong North police were called to the scene, and the scene was handed over to them after the man was declared dead by paramedics. Forensic pathology services officials were also called to the scene to take the body to an appropriate pathological facility,” Ntladi stated.

The Ekurhuleni district SAPS spokesperson, Captain Neldah Sekgobela, said an inquest docket has been opened regarding the incident.

“There are ongoing investigations,” said Sekgobela.