11 arrested in connection with the brutal murders of three ‘suspects’ during mob justice attack outside Tzaneen
Among the arrested are seven men and four women, the youngest being 15 year-old.
LIMPOPO – Eleven suspects were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning (28 May) in connection with the brutal murders of three people by a group from the Ga-Wally village on Sunday morning.
In a statement released, Police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the suspects were arrested at their different homes following a well coordinated operation that was conducted by Tzaneen cluster detectives, first responders and the tracking task team.
Read more: Limpopo Police condemns brutal murders of three suspects during mob justice incident outside Tzaneen
“The arrested suspects include seven men and four women, aged between 15 and 42. One of the suspects is the owner of a local tavern and during the arrests a bakkie, that was allegedly used to transport some of members to the scene where the killing took place, was confiscated,” explained Mojapelo in the statement.
According to an earlier police statement, preliminary police investigations revealed that the brutal attack follows a chain of events after the three deceased were accused of attempting to rob an elderly women from the same village. The community mobilized and hunted down the alleged intruder(s) until they caught the three unknown middle aged men. After accusing them of being responsible for house robberies in the area, the three were then brutally assaulted with assortment of objects.
The deceased, who are from the adjacent Block 5 village in Mokwakwaila, have since been identified as: Lismond Walter Morasehla (35), Kamogelo Sekgobela (17) and Tshepiso Maukwe (27).
Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has commended the members for spending a sleepless night tracking down the suspects. General Ledwaba also thanked community members for providing the police with valuable information that helped in tracking down the suspects. “ These arrests will send a clear message that the police are determined to end incidents of mob justice,” he concluded.
The suspects will face three counts of murder and will appear in the Bolobedu Magistrate Court on Thursday, 30 May. More arrests are expected, concluded Mojapelo.
