Angry mob assault and kill rape suspect
Slindza was apprehended by the angry mob after he was positively identified by the rape victim.
TONGA – Angry community members of Block B, have assaulted and killed another suspect alleged to be involved in the rape, theft, and double murder of Mr Andries Sithole and Ms Dalita Mula who were killed in their sleep on February 17.
This came to light on Monday afternoon when an angry mob apprehended and killed another accused, 25-year-old Mr Mfana Silindza.
Slindza was apprehended by the angry mob after he was positively identified by the rape victim. He and another man allegedly raped the victim at gunpoint.
It is also alleged that he had been in hiding since the crime, and police have reason to believe he was also part of the gang who that murdered the couple and stole money from the family’s tavern.
According to the spokesman for the local police, Lt Ntomfuthi Mashiane, they are investigating a case of murder and they don’t condone community members taking the law into their own hands.
Mashiane confirmed they had been looking for Silindza after a rape charge was brought against him. However, according to Mashiane, he had managed to evade police so far.
When police raided the room which he occupied they found an unlicensed firearm.
“Things can’t continue you this way, our job are being made more and more difficult, because we cannot investigate someone who is dead. When community members murder suspects, we are forced to drop investigations, and this enables some of the perpetrators to get away with the crimes they have committed,” explained Mashiane.
Mashiane reiterated her appeal to communities not to take the law into their own hands.
She said, “We can’t stress the vital role of community members in the fight against crime enough but not in this manner. When residents apprehend a suspect they should call the police as soon as possible. They should never take the law into their own hands but rather allow it to take its course.”
According to Mashiane, Silindza’s death has left them with the daunting task of tracking the second rape suspect, as the victim said she wouldn’t be able to identify him.
Meanwhile on Monday morning, 30 year-old Mr Mxolisi Shongwe, who is also implicated in the couple’s murder, briefly appeared in the Tonga Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder, rape and robbery. His case was postponed to March 26. At the time of going to press this publication was unable to report on court proceedings.
Shongwe was arrested on March 3 in Middelplaas after detectives had tracked him down. He also stands accused of robbery and rape. Shongwe’s co-accused have both been brutally killed by angry community members.
According to eyewitnesses of the arrest, Shongwe confessed to having fled from Block B to his aunt’s place in Middelplaas after he heard that the community was looking for him, and that his co-accused had been murdered by an angry mob.
Police are confident they have the right suspect and a strong case, however, Mashiane feels the two suspects who were killed could have made the case even stronger, as they might have been linked to other crimes in the area.
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