Muraleni village has recently become a haven for lawbreakers, with crimes such as cattle theft, robberies, and housebreaking becoming the order of the day.
Overwhelmed by this ever-increasing lawlessness, residents decided to fight back against criminals. On 11 December, a vehicle was stopped while towing a trailer with seven suspected stolen cattle. Realising that they had nowhere to go, the thieves abandoned the bakkie with its contents and disappeared into the darkness. The vehicle was subsequently set alight after the trailer with the stolen cattle was unhitched.
A community member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he had been called to the scene at around 01:30 in the morning. "It is not surprising that the community members have decided to go to such extremes. They are angry and tired of the crime taking place in their village. Day in and day out, there are reports of crime. Their cattle are being stolen, and thugs break into their homes. Theft has become a major problem," he said.
He added that community members would soon hold a meeting to discuss methods to combat the surge in criminality. "Criminals should know that our village is not a playground. Here, they will meet the wrath of the community," he said.
The spokesperson for the police in Vhembe, W/O Vuledzani Dathi, said that last Wednesday's case had been reported to the police. He warned the community not to take the law into their own hands. Dathi said that it was a crime to set a vehicle on fire, and if the owner reported it, the police would investigate and make arrests if necessary.