Mob justice: Community members kill 6 people in Mpumalanga

South African Police Service

Mob justice: Community members kill 6 people in Mpumalanga
Mob justice: Community members kill 6 people in Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga police has in several occasions called on community members to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, but Kabokweni police had their hands full when six people perished in the hands of the community.

In the early hours of Friday 21 April 2023, police responded to the mob attack where two people were reported to have been brutally assaulted and lost their lives in Sifunindlela trust next to Bhuga.

To the police surprise, on their arrival it was not only an attack on human lives, but also a Malicious Injury to Property whereby a house was burnt down.

Two victims were certified dead by medical practitioners on the scene and the third person was seriously injured and later succumbed to his injuries.

Police had tough time in getting the deceased to the mortuary as a number of community members crowded the scene and obstructed police from performing their duties.

Whilst police were still on the scene, they received a call that two other bodies, of a 21 and a 40-year-old males were found with multiple injuries in Khumbula at about 14:00.

Two hours later Police received another information about the sixth body which was found in the bushes at Clau-clau.

Unconfirmed information link the first three victims to be the suspects on an armed robbery which took place at one of the liquor outlets in Emvangati whereby they were allegedly identified by community members.

Police cannot link the other three murders to the robbery and hope an intense investigation will reveal the real cause.

Only two victims have been identified so far and the other four remain unknown.

The Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga SAPS Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela issued a strong warning to community members to refrain from taking the law and into their own hands and allow justice to play its role. “Other people might be victimised for hidden agendas by their accusers and end up losing their lives for crimes they never committed,” warned the General.

SAPS Newsroom

SOURCESouth African Police Service