An 18-year-old woman of Ezihlabathini Reserve outside Melmoth was strangled to death on Sunday morning, allegedly by her cousin.

The body of the deceased, Kwanele Mgenge, was found in her bed by family members.

Her 21-year-old cousin, suspected of being responsible for the murder, was subsequently severely assaulted by angry community members.

The deceased’s uncle, Nkosinathi Mgenge, believes the attack was to silence Kwanele, who had exposed her cousin’s involvement in recent house break-ins at one of the family homesteads.

‘Kwanele took photos of him while he committed the crime, which she sent to the family’s elders. My nephew was questioned about it, but he denied everything.

‘He was informed that Kwanele saw him committing the crime, but no punishment was imposed on him on Sunday because Kwanele was not available to testify against him.

‘She was in town and we waited for her to return to proceed with the matter on Monday,’ Mgenge said.

King Cetshwayo cluster police spokesperson, Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose, said the suspect was taken to KwaMagwaza Hospital for medical attention after the assault on him by members of the community.

‘He was transferred to Ngwelezana Hospital where he is under 24-hours police guard. Once he is discharged he will be formally charged with murder,’ said Mdlalose.

Mdlalose warned the community to stop taking the law into their own hands.

‘Vigilantism is a crime. People must report all criminal activities to the police and allow them to do their work,’ he said.