A 30-year-old man was brutally assaulted by vigilantes near Jersey Farm in the Dannhauser municipal area on April 17.
According to police, the victim, later identified as Xolani Ndovu, allegedly burgled a home in the area.
One of the female occupants alerted fellow community members, who subsequently rushed to her aid.
Chasing Mr Ndovu into a nearby veld, enraged residents brutally assaulted him with a sjambok and left him to die.
“The following day he was found by the police in the open veld, already dead,” said Dannhauser SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Mfanafuthi Nyembe.
A wide-scale investigation was launched, which soon lead to the arrest of one of the perpetrators. The suspect has since been detained and charged for the vicious crime.
“We, as the police, condemn such actions where the community takes the law into their hands. Yes, they can assist the police to catch suspects, but not [by] punishing them themselves,” concluded Sgt Nyembe.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Dannhauser police on 034 621 6500.
