Four men, suspected to be members of a notorious gang of criminals that have been terrorizing the Tshiozwi community, just escaped with their lives on Friday, 24 June, after residents apprehended them and severely assaulted them with sjamboks.
The gangsters were fingered as being behind a spate of criminal activities at Tshiozwi, involving robberies, thefts and attacks on residents. A group of community members embarked on a hunt for them in the early morning hours and finally caught up with them at a certain house in the village.
The police struggled to keep order, with angry residents threatening to finish them off. After they were beaten, the men were in such a serious condition that they had to be hospitalized.
During the whole ordeal, the gang members apparently pointed out hide-outs where more stolen goods were recovered. Residents sighed with relief. "We know these gangsters; they rob people in broad daylight. With them having been disciplined today, we can now spend our monies without fear again," said one resident.
Another community member said they were sick and tired of the crime in their area. "This will send out a message to all who are thinking of continuing with crime that they are not welcome here. We have taken a stand that we will fight fire with fire. We have vowed to clean this area of all crime ourselves. We will not fold our hands while the village is taken to the dogs while the police are not helping the situation," he said.
The police spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, warned residents not to take the law into their own hands but to work with the police in apprehending criminals. The police called on members of the public whose shops and houses have been burgled to come to the police station to identify their property.
At the time of our going to press, the four suspects had been arrested but were still in hospital under police guard. None of the community members involved with the assault on the gang members have been arrested yet.