Mob justice sees two men killed at Shayamoya

Two men were killed in acts of mob justice in Shayamoya township this past week.

Last week a man accused of rape was confronted by residents and severely assaulted.

He died from his injuries.

On Sunday a second man accused of stealing cellphones was beaten up by residents and he too later died in hospital.

Shayamoya councillor, Collin Mdletshe, confirmed the assaults and said residents “are tired of being terrorised by criminals”.

“People are angry and tired of living in fear. As much as we attempt to urge them not to take the law into their own hands, they are not prepared to listen. They have vowed to deal with anyone caught committing a crime.”

He said residents complain that even when criminals were arrested, they were usually released the next day.

Another complaint was that the police took too long to respond when they were called.

“Something needs to be done about our police station. We cannot ignore the fact that the Umhlali police station is under-resourced. It has a very big area to cover but is not provided with sufficient resources to be effective,” said Mdletshe.

Early last month, a teenager who allegedly stabbed and killed another teen faced the wrath of Nkobongo residents, who in retribution set his family’s home alight.

The boy later handed himself over to the police.

In November the Courier reported that the Nkobongo and Shayamoya townships were identified as serious problem areas relating to murder, robbery and house break-ins.

Drug abuse, gang fights and illegal taverns operating at irregular hours are cited as the main causes of last year’s crime spike.

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