A MAN from the Clay Oven informal settlement was declared dead on 22 July after he was severely assaulted.
According to the spokesperson for Sandton police, Captain Kym Cloete, police officers on the scene suspected alcohol was a strong factor leading up to the assault.
Outreach director at Gracepoint Church Thembi Sibanda said that a group of three men, who live together on the outskirts of the settlement, had an argument during the day, which worsened at night when everyone in the township was asleep.
An assault led to one man being killed and another being rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
Revered Gary Rivas of Gracepoint Church said that the Clay Oven community’s effort to co-operate with authorities was yet again evident, as the community went in search of the perpetrator.
“The community was furious about the incident – it was the community who responded and searched for the perpetrator and eventually found the man hiding under a bush in Sunninghill. The community then called the police and the man was arrested,” said Rivas.
The suspect had a criminal record and had spent time in jail before.
Rivas added that the Clay Oven community had previously chased away smash and grab perpetrators at the intersection of Witkoppen Road and Main Road, outside the settlement.
