A man was allegedly stoned to death on Monday evening after an argument broke out between him and his friend. His body was found on Tuesday morning in the Phillip Nel Park. According to the Pretoria West police station commander, Colonel Caroline Naidoo, the body of an unknown male was found by police at the scene with bricks next to it on Tuesday morning. Naidoo indicated that upon further investigation, it emerged that the suspect was known to the deceased and was among the people who were at the scene.
The suspect was later arrested. It is believed that the deceased was assaulted by the suspect the night before.
“Apparently, the deceased owed the suspect money. They knew each other and did piece jobs together,” Naidoo mentioned.
It was worrying to the community that a person was stoned to death in a park where children played. According to Ward Councillor Sam Moimane, what he heard from his community is that the two men were allegedly drunk and started quarrelling. The community allegedly tried to stop them.
“We are living in a violent society and it is scary that people can fight and end up stoning each other to death.” Moimane mentioned that it was traumatising for people using the road in the early hours to see a dead body along the road, as police were only notified of the incident at around 09:00.
“People should be more vigilant and responsible, and should avoid arguments when drinking,” Moimane warned.
A case of murder has been opened against the suspect and he appeared in the Pretoria magistrate’s court on Wednesday. The verdict of his case was not known at the time of going to print.
