Gauteng Legislature condemns mob justice in Setswetla Informal Settlement
There can never be any justification for residents to take the law into their own hands as this too is tantamount to criminality, committee chairperson Bandile Masuku said following the Setswetla incident.
Five men accused by community members of carrying out acts of terror in Setswetla Informal Settlement in Marlboro were caught and lynched by an angry mob of residents on Mandela Day.
The Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety immediately reacted to the incident and called on residents of the Setswetla and other areas of the province to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
This comes after the July 18 incident where five men were set alight on suspicions of being responsible for a spate of crimes in the area in which they accused the men of terrorising the community using illegal firearms.
The committee condemns this act of vigilantism and mob justice and encourages the public to cooperate with the police and allow the criminal justice system to do its work of bringing suspected criminals to book, committee chairperson Bandile Masuku said.
“Mob justice and vigilantism have no space in our communities as they further exacerbate unacceptable criminality and lawlessness. There can never be any justification for residents to take the law into their own hands as this too is tantamount to criminality.
“Those found guilty of this crime will find themselves having to face the full might of the law,” Masuku said.
The committee urged residents to form proactive partnerships with the police in Setswetla and across the province to address the ever-increasing levels of crime and clamp down on criminal elements in the communities.
Masuku said residents are encouraged to be the eyes and ears of the police and to report suspected criminals and criminal activity to the police in an effort to restore law and order in the communities.
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