The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma has strongly warned the community to refrain from committing acts of mob justice.
The warning of General Zuma comes in the wake of an incident where a 33-year-old man was brutally killed at Mahushu Trust in Masoyi, apparently by three people accusing him of stealing.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, 23 June 2020 and three suspects have been arrested today in connection with the murder.
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This mob justice was reported to the police on the same day whereupon their arrival at the scene, they found the victim severely assaulted.
The police then summoned medical personnel who on arrival, certified the victim dead as a result, the police opened a murder case hence the arrest of a 28-year-old woman as well as two men, both aged 29.
Preliminary investigation has currently revealed that the victim was suspected by the trio to have stolen properties from their house. They then allegedly assaulted him until he died.
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Lieutenant General Zuma has condemned this incident and called on members of the public to report criminal activities to the lawful authorities rather than taking the law into their own hands.
“People who engage in mob justice should know that the law will definitely be after them. There is nobody who is above the law despite whatever grievances one might have, you cannot be law unto yourself. We encourage communities to join structures such as the Community Police Forums (CPF’s) and work together with their local Traditional Leadership with a clear mandate of addressing crime. We hope the arrest of the suspects will send a clear message to those who might engage in acts of mob justice that regardless of who they are, they will be locked up. Acts of mob justice are acts of criminally that’s all,” said General Zuma.
