Elderly woman attacked and burnt alive
Police are investigating a case of murder following a necklacing attack on an elderly woman.
An elderly Laudium woman was burnt to death when an angry crowd put a tyre around her chest and set it alight.
This form of death is known as necklacing. It is a form of execution and torture carried out by forcing a rubber tyre, filled with petrol around a victim’s chest and arms and setting it on fire. The victim may take up to 20 minutes to die, suffering severe burns in the process.
Police spokesperson Captain Louise Steynberg said an angry crowd suspected the old woman and her husband had been involved in the death of an eight-year-old child a few weeks ago.
Steynberg said a post-mortem revealed the child had died of exposure to excessive voltage caused by an open live electrical cable. No foul play had been suspected.
She said the deceased woman and her husband are known as traditional healers in the Laudium area. “The mob suspected they might have killed the child for muti. Police managed to rescue the man after he was severely assaulted but the women had died after she was set alight.”
Meanwhile another incident of an angry crowd was reported on Sunday afternoon.
Three men were arrested on Saturday night for their involvement in public violence.
An angry crowd of over 500 residents from the Itereleng informal settlement near Laudium gathered in front of Laudium police station on Sunday afternoon, demanding the release of the men.
The crowd later split into two groups and marched down the streets of Laudium.
Police intervened when the crowd started stoning houses and vehicles.
Steynberg said police were in talks with the crowd to try and disperse them. “I cannot confirm at this stage if police fired rubber bullets at the crowd. I can confirm that police were escorting the two groups to ensure the safety of residents.”
The crowd was still moving down the streets at 20:30 on Sunday and police were monitoring the situation.
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