4 KILLED: 3 MORE ACCOMPLICES HUNTED

NHLANGANO – The mob that killed and torched four robbery suspects, is incessantly searching for three more suspects, who are allegedly accomplices in the spate of robberies at Matsanjeni.

Their family members said they were living in fear that their houses might be torched, as per threats making the rounds. Sources revealed to the Times yesterday, that there were three more suspects, who were allegedly partners-in-crime with the four. On Monday the four were hacked, doused with petrol and set alight by a mob on the allegations that they were complicit to the robberies. It was gathered that the community members were in possession of a list of about seven people who were wanted.

Fear

The three suspects’ family members shared that they were now living in fear after the initial incident. They shared that they did not know the whereabouts of the wanted family members, while one said even if they did, who would send their children to a lion’s den. The family members shared that they were approached by the mob in their homesteads, looking for the said people, but were told that they were not home. They wondered why the mob had to burn the suspects instead of handing them over to the police. “I sent my child away and he will not come back anytime soon after what I saw,” said one of the family members. It was gathered that on Monday, another meeting was held, wherein parents came with their notorious children to the mob and asked the community members to speak to them as their children were engaging in criminal activities.

Sources revealed that each parent was being made to stand and tell the mob about the conduct of their child. In the event that the child’s conduct was wayward, the parent gave the mob permission to beat up the child. “Some were sharing that their children were not going to school while others shared that they robbed people of phones as well as those who were stealing from people’s homes. The mob spoke to them and some were flogged as per the parents’ requests,” added the source. Matsanjeni South Indvuna YeNkhundla Siphiwe Mabuza said if it was per her wish, the police would have acted swiftly and addressed the matter and things would not have escalated to this state.

Future

She further said that in future, parents of children wanted by the police were supposed to take them (children) to the police to face the law. “We feel for the people who were affected by the crime wave as they lost a lot of valuables and, in the same manner, we are sending our condolences to the families who lost their children,” she said. It was gathered that police officers were on the ground yesterday investigating the murder of the four people. It was said that a few homes were visited and families questioned. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said there were no arrests regarding the mob justice as police were still doing their investigations. She advised the three families whose children were still wanted by the community members to report same to the police.

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