Residents of the Alaska informal settlement in Mamelodi East have taken to solving the problem of crime with mob justice. This comes after a man was recently beaten to death after they allegedly caught him stealing electrical cables from homes.
The incident started when residents woke up in darkness, trying to prepare for work. Upon inspection, they were surprised to see three men busy cutting down electricity cables. When the suspects realised they had been spotted, they ran for their lives, but could not outrun the enraged community members.
One of the suspects was caught and beaten with sjamboks and electrical wires, and some even used stones to the teach the suspect a lesson. In pain, the suspect began to confess other crimes he had committed in the community and revealed the name of the person he was working for. ‘Stanley’ had apparently sent him to steal the cables.
The suspect used a wire cutter and a knife to steal the cables and was wearing gloves.
One of the community members who wished to remain anonymous said that anyone planning on stealing their cables should be prepared to die. Community leader Joe Kgopo said he did not condone mob justice or anyone taking the law into their own hands. “The community should have caught the suspects and handed them over to the police to let justice take its course,” said Kgopa. Captain Jan Sepato from the Silverton police confirmed that a case of murder has been opened. The spokesperson for the Mamelodi East police, Warrant Officer Michael Mbewe, could not be reached for comment at time of going to press.
