Four arrested after community sets man accused of wife’s death alight

Police in Limpopo have arrested four suspects after a 64-year-old man from Ngove village in Giyani was the victim of mob justice on Wednesday night.

Police spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nneke Ledwaba welcomed the arrests of the suspects aged 36 to 41.

“The arrests came after the community members went on the rampage when the body of 60-year-old Phosa Egnes Maswanganyi, who went missing on Tuesday, 27 October 2020, was discovered hanging from a tree in the nearby bushes.

“The residents accused the deceased’s husband and his friend of being involved in her disappearance and death. They then torched the husband’s two houses and set him alight. He was badly injured and taken to hospital.

Ngoepe said the Giyani police and the Public Order unit responded to the scene, but by the time they arrived the crowd had already moved to another house which they also tried to set alight.

“The police responded swiftly and managed to stop them,” he said.

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Cases of arson and attempted murder were opened and police started with investigations which resulted in the arrests, Ngoepe said.

The suspects are expected to appear in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court soon, he added.

Ngoepe said though the area was calm, the Public Order unit was still monitoring the area, adding that police expect to make more arrests as investigations continue.

Police urge anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects to contact Colonel Robert Mudau on 082 729 0351, the Crime Stop number 0860010111, their nearest police station or MySAPSApp.

Ledwaba said: “Police will continue working hard to ensure those who take the law into their own hands are arrested and face the full might of the law.”

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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