Edited by St Francis Chronicle: In a horrific act of mob justice, the SAPS says an angry group of three men and woman set alight three men, two of whom died, after accusing them of stealing electricity cables.
The four were arrested on charges of murder by SAPS in Bitiyi near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
The victims were first assaulted before being set alight at a roadside, the police said. One died at the scene and two were sent to hospital, but one died en route. The other is still in hospital.
Communities in all areas of South Africa, upmarket or informal settlements, around South Africa are frequently left in the dark and without electricity for several hours following thefts of electricity cables and transformers while they wait for the stolen or damaged equipment to be repaired. There are gangs who steal equipment allegedly for copper or who hook up to electrical cables illegally causing power to fail for the whole area and this leaves residents without power. The culprits, acting in the darkness of the night by stealth, escape with their loot and and often escape being caught by police. Besides these ‘no power’ spells, residents also suffer from no electricity from lack of maintenance by some municipal officials.
The police say the angry group accused three African men of stealing electricity cables at Empa Locality at Bityi on 7 April before setting them alight. The SAPS investigations led to the arrest of three men and one woman on 16 April, on charges of murder (two counts) and attempted murder.
District Commissioner, Major General Norman Modishana issued a stern warning to residents against participating in mob justice or vigilantism. “These actions are violent and unlawful. People, who are leading such actions risk serious consequences such as life imprisonment”, Maj Gen Modishana said.
The OR Tambo District Commissioner, Major General,Norman Modishana, welcomed the arrest of the four suspects in a mob justice related incident, and he asserted that further arrests are imminent.
St Francis Chronicle 