Mob justice worries Police

Limpopo Police expressed concern over the escalation in incidents of mob justice over the past six months across the province, the latest being that of an ambulance forced off the road and its two patients stoned to death in Bolobedu over the weekend.
Provincial Police Spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe said the Police are worried about the situation of people taking the law into their own hands as incidents are reported almost weekly. “We received complaints from people in rural areas that they are not provided with proper service from the Police and are left with no other choice but to take matters into their own hands. We have recently rolled out a programme to address mob justice in rural areas by deploying more patrol vehicles. If it is the case of officers not providing professional service we urge communities to report them to the respective cluster commanders,” Ngoepe said.
He added that people who are involved in mob justice are becoming criminals themselves. “The horrific part of mob justice is that in most incidents the wrong people are brought to justice by a community whilst being innocent. They sometimes kill innocent people and we are appealing to community leaders and community safety leaders to address the issue with communities as a matter of urgency,” he said.
The incident in Bolobedu saw two suspected robbers losing their lives after being stoned to death. Ngoepe said it is alleged that three robbers were terrorising one of the villages outside Bolobedu on Friday evening and continued with their modus operandi in a neighbouring village where they reportedly robbed a foreign national and stabbed him with a sharp object. “On Sunday evening community members responded to a scream and caught the three suspects allegedly trying to rob one of the community members. They apprehended the suspects and started assaulting them. The Police were informed and two of the suspects saved while the third one ran away,” Ngoepe said.
Police allegedly took the suspects to a place of safety where after an ambulance was deployed to transport them to a nearby clinic. “By that time the community had already been alerted about the ambulance transporting the two suspects. They blocked the road and forced the ambulance off the road. The two suspects were dragged from the ambulance and stoned to death. The medical workers had to flee on foot for their lives,” Ngoepe said, adding that a Police vehicle was also damaged when responding to the incident.
In a second incident at Mafeane Village near Atok an unknown man was stoned to death by community members on Sunday. It is believed that the man entered the house of one of the residents who started to scream thinking it was an intruder. “The community acted quickly, apprehended the man and started pelting him with stones and other objects until he died. He has not yet been identified,” Ngoepe said.
No arrests have been made and investigations continue.

Story: RC Myburgh
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