The demon of mob justice raised its ugly head in Vhembe again. A man who allegedly unleashed terror wherever he went around the village of Hamutsha-Khwekhwe outside Louis Trichardt, received bush justice last week when angry community members caught up with him after a long time on the run.
The man, only known as Tinties, has been on the run since one of his accomplices was caught red-handed at Khwekhwe and confessed to the community that he had been sent by the alleged crime boss. The young man was allegedly badly assaulted and then pointed out hide-outs where more stolen goods were recovered.
The alleged criminal boss went into hiding after that. The man and his gang are suspected to be behind the spate of robberies, thefts, rapes and attacks on residents, among others.
Angry community members hunted him last weekend and caught up with him and used an assortment of weapons to beat him. After a fierce beating, the alleged crime boss soiled himself and was left for dead in a pool of blood. Fortunately for him, he was rescued when sympathetic residents called an ambulance, which took him to hospital where he is recuperating.
A community member, who preferred anonymity, said the community was sick and tired of the crime in their area. "This will send a message to all who are thinking of continuing with crime that they are not welcome here. Enough is enough and we have taken a stand that we will fight fire with fire. We will not fold our hands while the village is taken to the dogs while police are not helping the situation, " she said.
A community policing forum member in the Mutsha area, who also did not want his identity made known, said there were many incidents of crime in the area. "Things are not going well in this area as we do not have a good working relationship with the police. This man has been fingered in many crimes and he would be arrested and released all the time and this angered the community. We have vowed to clean the area of all crime ourselves," he said.
Incidents of mob justice are on the increase in the Vhembe region, with no fewer than five incidents reported this month alone.
In one of the worst scenarios of mob justice, an alleged feared gangster in Thohoyandou was cornered and fatally beaten by angry shoppers after snatching a phone and purse from an elderly woman. The man was caught at the local taxi rank where he was necklaced.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, with police sending warnings to residents not to take the law into their own hands.