A man suspected of a string of house robberies was beaten to death by a mob of Velani Township residents in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Umhlali SAPS officers arrived during the assault but were unable to intervene due to the size of the mob.

According to Bongumusa Mkhize, chairperson of Velani CPF, Sifiso Majola, who went by his nickname Kangaroo, was a suspect in numerous house robbery cases in the area.

He said community members had complained about Majola and his girlfriend on numerous occasions.

“Apparently his girlfriend would go knocking on people’s doors in the middle of the night while he hid in the bushes. The home owners would open the door thinking a woman needed help and he would then show up and rob them,” said Mkhize.

Mkhize said they called Majola two weeks ago after a group of residents complained for the umpteenth time to the CPF but he denied having been involved in any of the break-ins or robberies over the festive season.

“I was not present when the mob attacked Majola nor was I aware that they would resort to such violence. Now all we can do is wait for the police to investigate what really happened,” said Mkhize.

A Velani resident who wished to remain anonymous told the Courier that Umhlali SAPS had arrested Majola more than five times in the past year alone for burglary.