5 ASSAULTED BY MOB, 1 KILLED

GOOD SHEPHERD – Another day, another mob violence.

One person was flogged to death and four others heavily assaulted by a mob who accused them of being members of the notorious ‘Number 28’ gang which is allegedly responsible for a spate of crimes in Maphungwane. One had his private parts and hands burnt in the process of the punishment.
The injured were admitted to the Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital (GSCH) where they were said to be in critical condition yesterday. The suspects were accused of a string of robberies, housebreaking and rape in the community. It was at around 10am on Wednesday when the five were rounded up by residents of Maphungwane after they had been identified as the alleged perpetrators of serious crimes in the area.

An eyewitness said an incident of housebreaking and robbery that had occurred at Hhukwane was enough to trigger the violence.
It was established that three of the suspects were assaulted with bush knifes, logs and axes. The mob further lit a grass fire and burnt one of the men’s private parts and hands. The others were assaulted heavily on their legs, feet and hands.

Rushed

According to the source, the angry mob started to assault the trio at around 10am. Police only arrived at the scene at around 7pm and rushed the men to the hospital. Mayibongwe Banda, who succumbed to the injuries, is said to have died at around 11pm, while receiving treatment at the hospital.
It was also established that Banda was originally from Mozambique, but his family had established a home and settled at Maphungwane. His aunt, Lilian Bartaria confirmed the demise and indicated that she was yet to get more details about the incident. She mentioned that Banda was rarely home as he spent time with his friends.

“I got the news of the demise of Mayibongwe and I am yet to get more information on what transpired, leading to the incident,” she said. The others were receiving medical attention yesterday. Their identities will not be revealed for ethical reasons. After first attacking the three, the mob is said to have further tracked down two other suspects, whom they tortured and left for dead.

Violence

They also had to be rushed to hospital by the police, bringing the number of the assaulted suspects to five.Their ages range between 25 and 30.
They accused the two of breaking into people’s homes and robbing families of money, food, clothes and even committed rapes. The source shared that the rising criminal incidents in the community had been reported to the Tikhuba Police Post and Siteki Police Station on several occasions. He alleged that the residents felt nothing was being done to investigate the incidents.

He narrated how one of the accused was fetched from his parental home while two of his accomplices were caught red-handed in one of the homes at Hhukwane. “Crime has escalated to extreme proportions at Maphungwane. People are no longer moving at night due to fear of being attacked, raped or their belongings taken forcefully by the criminals,” said the source. Adding, the source mentioned that the Maphungwane community had sectional ‘gangs’ geographically located in zones of Tigodzi, Hhukwane and Ekucitsekeni.

Perpetrated

“The community members are fed-up with the crimes that are perpetrated by people who are known in the community. There is no peace at Maphungwane, following the opening of drinking bars around the community. The police have done nothing to curb these criminal elements. Also, no arrests have been made,” the source retorted. Interviewed in their hospital beds, the four suspects expressed ignorance on the crimes they were linked to. They all stated that they had enjoyed alcoholic beverages on Tuesday evening upon arrival at Maphungwane from Matsapha, before the mob attacked them at their different places of abode on Wednesday. One of the victims said he was enjoying alcoholic beverages when he was informed by other people that his friends went to rob an elderly woman of her E2 500.

He said he fell victim to the mob violence just because he was friends with those who committed the crime. He did not deny that he was a member of the ‘28 gang’, together with his alleged accomplices. He said he was found at his girlfriend’s home when the mob dragged him away to interrogate him. “They started to assault us at around 10am with every weapon at their disposal, like pangas, knobkerries, logs, axes and also burnt one of my friends. I was assaulted on the head and all over the body. I fractured both my legs, but the doctors indicated that I would be alright,” the suspect said.

Committed

He said during the violent interrogation, they tried to explain their side of the story, that they had nothing to do with the committed crimes, but the mob would not listen. His accomplice said the mob found him enjoying marula brew when they took him away. He narrated that they told him to confess about his crimes in front of the members of the community and when he tried to reason with them, they assaulted him and further burnt his body using grass picked from the homestead’s yard. “I was burnt on my private parts, my arms and head. Though I screamed in pain, they continued to assault me,” he said.

Meanwhile, another accomplice also denied having committed the crimes he was associated with. He said, in the past, he used to commit crimes, but he had since repented from his unbecoming behaviour. To his knowledge, the person who committed all the crimes was still at large. “On the night of Tuesday, I heard that there was a break-in and alcohol at a bar and money were stolen. I pray that they catch the person behind the crimes. I am not a criminal anymore,” he said. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said a 23-year-old man succumbed to the injuries inflicted by the mob.

Attention

“The one who died was among others who were admitted to the hospital. Two others were admitted later and all of them are still receiving medical attention at the hospital. Police are still investigating the circumstances leading to the mob justice. No arrests have been made yet,” she said. Mozambican nationals’ representative in the country, Domingo Thomo, appealed for  good behaviour among Mozambican nationals staying in the country. Thomo said it was unfortunate that Banda died in this manner and urged community police to work collectively with the police to combat criminal elements in communities.

“We discourage such misbehavior among our nationals as emaSwati have been good to us and some of us have jobs and homes here. They must refrain from crime and work to earn a living. Residents and community police should work together to curb crime in communities,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the past two months, nine people have died in mob attacks in different occasions across the country. Recently, a 55-year-old man of Mphaphati under Siphofaneni Inkhundla was attacked and killed by a group of 15 community members, who implicated him in stock theft.

Concealed

According to a community member, who asked that his identity be concealed for security reasons, the members of the community attacked Bukhosi Dlamini after being informed that he was linked to a number of stolen cattle and goats that constantly disappeared in the community. Worth mentioning, is that eight people have been arrested in connection with the mob justice that took place at Nkonka in Matsanjeni a week ago, where four men were killed. Another recent incident of a mob attack also saw a 25-year-old man of Sitsatsaweni area being heavily assaulted by a mob after being allegedly found raping a 32-year-old woman whom they were enjoying alcoholic beverages with on  New Year’s Eve.

Also in January, at Luhlokohla area, near Ngculwini, one was killed by a mob in connection with stock theft. The source claimed that the deceased had, in the past, been linked to a number of stock theft incidents of goats and cattle in the community. In December last year, police officers from Lubulini Police station made a breakthrough after successfully arresting a man who was driving a Honda Fit sedan at Lubulini, loaded with 20 goats suspected to have been stolen around Siteki. Meanwhile, in November last year, Siteki Principal Magistrate Dumisani Magagula acquitted 19 of the 25 residents of two communities under the Siphofaneni Inkhundla, on the basis that they obeyed a restraining order that had been granted to the late Mabhensane Primary School Head teacher Sayinile Irene Sikhondze.

Gunned

The late head teacher was gunned down by an unknown person while at her home situated at Nceka area under Siphofaneni Inkhundla. Meanwhile, in December 2021, a Toyota van, valued at over E65 000, which was transporting 26 goats, was torched by a mob of 20 men from Kashoba area on suspicions that the goats were stolen.Worth mentioning, is that a 78-year-old man of Madulini area in the Shiselweni Region was also killed last week Friday by a mob, on suspicions that he was allegedly having sexual relationships with school-going children.

It is worth noting that a man who was assaulted by the suspects when they robbed him on Tuesday night was also admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night. According to a healthcare worker at the hospital, the man sustained a gaping wound on the head and was discharged yesterday morning. “He came with the police and he had an open wound on the head. He was stitched and given medication and discharged this morning (yesterday),” said the healthcare worker. * Not real names

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