In yet another shocking incident of mob justice, residents of the crime-ridden Duthuni Tshiawelo village, outside Thohoyandou, took matters into their own hands and delivered instant justice to an alleged criminal at around 06:00 on Monday, 16 December.
Community members, speaking in hushed tones, said the 27-year-old victim was from Murangoni but had been staying with his girlfriend in the village. It is alleged that, during the early morning, the man attempted to break into a local spaza shop but was disturbed by community members. He managed to flee but was reportedly positively identified.
Soon afterwards, community members mobilised themselves and tracked the man to his home, just a few metres from the spaza shop. It is alleged that he was dragged out of the two-roomed house where he stayed with his girlfriend.
Reports indicate that he confessed to the crime and pleaded for forgiveness. However, the angry mob tied his hands behind his back, assaulted him with various weapons, and then set him alight.
Community leader Mr Dominic Netshivhilidulu said he had heard about the incident but had been unable to gather all the details as he had not been present at the scene. "What I can confirm is that, as a community, we are under siege from criminals. Criminals are wreaking havoc here. We are all suffering because of cable thefts, robberies, housebreakings, and other crimes. People are angry, and it is not surprising that they sometimes resort to such extremes. We urge the police to patrol our areas and assist the community in fighting the scourge of crime," he said.
Vhembe SAPS spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi confirmed the incident, stating that the police had opened a case of murder (mob justice). According to Dathi, the police received an alert that community members were assaulting a person in the village. Upon arrival at the scene, they found the dead body of the man lying on the ground, still burning. Surrounding him were stones and wooden sticks, believed to have been used in the brutal attack.
The deceased has since been identified as 27-year-old Ramaliba Tshilisanani from Murangoni village. At the time of our going to press, no arrests had been made, and no suspects had been identified.
Anyone with information that could assist the police in apprehending those responsible for the murder of Tshilisanani is urged to contact the investigating officer, Capt Sydney Dama, at Tel (082) 469-1035.