Chaos erupted again in the Masiphumelele township in Hout Bay on Sunday evening, when about 100 residents attacked two men they suspected of committing crime.
Spokesperson Constable Noloyiso Rwexana said the group grabbed the men – aged 25 and 34 – at about 19:00. The older man died at the scene, while the second man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The circumstances surrounding the incidents were being investigated, and the motive for the attack was still unknown, Rwexana said. No arrests have yet been made.
A resident warned on Tuesday last week, in the wake of another vigilante killing, that this was “just the shorts before the movie”.
It was just one of many comments made by residents on the township’s Facebook page after a man was killed in what is believed to be mob justice.
Residents protested and set a police vehicle alight after news of a 14-year-old boy’s rape and murder spread through the community.
Satellite police station
Police discovered the body of a 27-year-old man not far from the burnt vehicle. Police said last week there were investigating three cases of murder after a man who had been injured during the unrest died in hospital on Wednesday.
Deputy Police Minister Maggie Sotyu said earlier this month that a satellite police station has been earmarked for Masiphumelele and was being treated as a priority.
Community policing forum members and concerned residents from Masiphumelele, Ocean View, Hangberg, Hout Bay and Imizamo Yethu gathered at the Iziko Lobomi Community Hall in Mandela Park at the time to share their views on policing with Sotyu and provincial police commissioner Major General Thembisile Patekile.
According to one fed-up Masiphumelele resident, police often failed to respond to complaints.
Another resident told News24 the precinct was “just too big”, insisting police had their hands full in dealing with complaints from Ocean View, Masiphumelele and Kommetjie.
Sotyu said it was hoped that the establishment of the satellite office would relieve some of the pressure on the station’s resources, as it currently serviced more than 40 000 people.
Source: News24
South Africa Today – South Africa News
