Ivory Park Police Station detectives arrested six people in connection with two murders, suspected to be mob justice, in Ivory Park.
According to Captain Bernard Matimulane, spokesperson for the Ivory Park Police Station, the five suspects were arrested at their homes on 24 February. One suspect handed himself over to the police after he got wind that police were hot on his trail. Matimulane said, “In the first mob murder, a man in his early 30s was assaulted and burnt to death in Ext 8, Tswelopele, on 19 February, after he and two others were accused of a business robbery at a local tavern.
He and the two men were taken to a open space, interrogated, beaten and burnt. “[The victim] was certified dead at the scene. The two others managed to escape, under circumstances we are not familiar with.” He added that five people were currently behind bars in connection with this gruesome incident, and the search for other suspects is ongoing.
In the second incident in Ivory Park, an unknown man was beaten to death after he and an unknown number of people allegedly attempted to rob another local tavern. Matimulane said that there was a shooting, during which the deceased was shot in the hand. The victim escaped but was eventually caught. “He was assaulted, rescued and died on the way to hospital. “A 34-year-old member of a local community patrolling group has been arrested in connection with this murder.”
The acting station commander of the Ivory Park Police Station, Colonel Baba Mpotoane, welcomed the arrests, saying they will go a long way in stopping these mob justice-related murders.
He encouraged the community to rather work with the police through the existing structures such as the community policing forums. “Having failed to work with us, these suspects are now expected to, through the courts, explain how they ended up being complainants, jury and executioners.”
Matimulane concluded that the six suspects are expected to appear in the Tembisa Magistrates’ Court soon.
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