Acts of mob justice condemned
We urge the community to work with the police to curb crime but no exacerbate it. As the police in Mpumalanga we call upon the public to refrain from such acts for they have no gain but can be defined as criminal, in the extreme, to the loss of innocent life
MBOMBELA – The acting provincial commissioner of the police, Maj Gen Meshack Nogwanya, has issued a stern warning to the community to refrain from committing acts of mob justice. This follows in the wake of unrelated incidents in Calcutta near Hazyview, Siyabuswa and Bushbuckridge.
• Last Wednesday a 28-year-old man was attacked and brutally murdered in Calcutta in what is believed to have been mob justice. The police were engaged in a routine patrol at about 21:00 when they were stopped and informed of a mob attack taking place around their area of jurisdiction.
They rushed to the scene where they found a man lying on the ground with severe head injuries.
He was declared dead on the scene. Police found a nine-millimetre Norinco pistol with the serial number filed off, loaded with six live rounds, next to his body. The man was apparently suspected of theft. He had allegedly worked with two accomplices, who managed to escape the angry community.
• Seven suspects were arrested in Siyabuswa following a murder which occurred, also on Wednesday. It is alleged that a group of suspects forcefully took Mr James Fana Mahlangu (32) from his home. They accused him of having committed housebreaking and assaulted him until he became unconscious.
Two of the suspects took him to Waterval Clinic where he was declared dead on arrival. These two suspects allegedly fled the scene upon learning that Mahlangu had died. They were later apprehended together with five other suspects. They are expected to appear in the Mdutjana Magistrate’s Court early next week.
• On January 4 the community of Bushbuckridge accused Mr Lawrence Motubatse (34) and Butibuti Mokgalaka (34) of having committed murder and attacked them. They had allegedly killed Mr Colby Phoku (29) the previous day. Motubatse was beaten with stones until he became unconscious.
The community then allegedly ordered Mokgalaka to stab him several times. He died on the scene. The murder was allegedly captured on video.
Mokgalaka was only assaulted and hospitalised. He is being charged with murder and has already appeared in the Mapulaneng Magistrate’s Court this week. His case was postponed to a later date pending his recuperation in hospital.
Provincial police spokesman Brig Selvy Mohlala added it was alleged that Motubatse, before he died, divulged information to the community that they had been sent by a certain man to kill Phoku.
“Upon learning this, some of the community members went to the family of the said man and burnt his house to ashes,” Mohlala said. Police have managed to arrest six suspects who are alleged to have torched the man’s home. They were charged with arson and appeared in court where they were granted bail of R1 000 each.
“All these incidents of mob justice are uncalled for and are punishable by law. We urge the community to work with the police to curb crime but no exacerbate it. As the police in Mpumalanga we call upon the public to refrain from such acts for they have no gain but can be defined as criminal, in the extreme, to the loss of innocent life,” warned Nogwanya.
