Man’s hands hacked off in gruesome attack in eMalahleni

A 30-year-old man was left for dead after he was kidnapped at gunpoint by six men whilst walking on the Kromdraai Road towards Extension 16 in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga. Both the man’s hands were hacked off.

Police described this act, which happened yesterday, as a display of barbaric violence.

“The suspects left the man in the bushes to bleed to death, taking his hands with them,” said Captain Elizabeth Hlathi, spokesperson for the Vosman Police Station.

The man was found by security officers conducting routine patrols.

The victim was not able to understand what his captors were saying, other than they were going to kill him, as they did not speak the same language. His captors drove him into the bushes, removed him from the vehicle and, in a gruesome display of abhorrent violence, put rubber bands around his arms, and hacked off his hands.

Hlathi said police have condemned this brutal attack, and have urged the community to please be wary of evil and unscrupulous individuals, who might have committed this heinous crime to obtain human body parts for dark rituals, or as a misguided display of mob justice.

The victim was rushed to hospital, where he is recuperating physically from this horrific attack. Police are searching for the suspects and are asking the community to rally together to stop these types of crimes before they get out of control.

Police are urging anyone who has information that might potentially help them to identify these suspects, is requested to contact Lieutenant Colonel Muntu Mbatha at 082 600 8537.