Bushbuckridge family seeks justice for uncle murdered in mob justice attack
The victim was accused of stealing livestock in Cunningmore B and was assaulted.
The Mdaka family has called for the Mpumalanga SAPS to find the suspects behind the murder of their family member, Sam Mdaka (64), who was killed in a mob justice attack in Cunningmore B on March 24.
A nephew of the deceased, Ralph Mdaka, told Lowvelder Express that his uncle had been accused of stealing goats belonging to a local in Cunningmore B.
“The community had no right to kill my uncle for something he had not done. The goats are still with the owner, and he does not want to come forward and admit the truth. My uncle was allegedly beaten on his head with a panga. We did not find his body at the exact location of incident, but somewhere close to the house he had allegedly stolen the livestock from. We were never shown where the incident took place,” Ralph said.
He said Sam had lived with a mental illness. “My uncle would become unstable sometimes, and he had gone missing on three occasions. How could he steal a herd of goats when the goats are with the rightful owner? It is frustrating that no one wants to come forward and tell the police the truth.
“We opened a case at the Calcutta Police Station. We hope the police will arrest the person or people who killed our beloved uncle and that justice is served on our behalf,” Ralph said.
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A provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, confirmed a murder case was reported to the Calcutta police, which is being investigated.
“Members of the police were patrolling when they received an alert about a mob justice attack. They found a male who was assaulted, allegedly by members of the community, after an allegation that he had stolen livestock, specifically goats. They found the man with his hand fastened with a robe, and he had visible wounds on the head. Paramedics declared him dead. No arrests have been made yet,” Mdhluli said.
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“The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has condemned this incident and encouraged the public to work with the police and other policing structures to which they can report, so that matters are investigated and the perpetrators made to face the law the correct way.”
