According to Cleveland SAPS, Mangolongolo informal settlement residents beat and stoned Aubrey Malumane to death on September 1.
“It had been alleged he raped and killed a girl of two years old,” said Cleveland SAPS spokesperson Capt Johan Jordaan.
He said Malumane was a close family friend of the girl and used to visit the family often.
“He visited the mother of the child on the day of the incident. He told her he was taking her daughter to the shops to buy her snacks. He went to the shop with the young child but they did not come back.
“The mother of the child went to look for the two but she discovered with shock they were nowhere to be found. All she found was her daughter’s body close to Malumane’s hut. She was naked and lifeless. The mother ran and called for help and told the community what had transpired. The community apprehended Malumane. They beat him and stoned him to death,” he said.
Also read: SAPS seek man charged with rape
Police were called to the scene and they found the bodies of the child and the suspect close to each other.
Jordaan said the station condemns the incidents and he urged all residents to report all crimes to the police station.
“We have done many crime awareness campaigns in the Cleveland precinct. Parents must not trust anyone with their children. They must know the whereabouts of their children at all times.”
Station commander Colonel Lobisi Motaung condemned the incident. He advised residents not to take law into their own hands.
