Three people burnt to death following ‘mob justice’ attack in Lavender Hill

Three people were burnt to death in Lavender Hill following a mob justice attack on Sunday afternoon, IOL reported.

The police confirmed that Fire and Rescue Services arrived at the scene where three bodies were found to have been “burnt beyond recognition”.

Western Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said that the motive for the incident was unknown at this stage.

“A heavy police contingent is keeping an eye on an area in Lavender Hill following an incident where three yet-to-be-identified bodies were found burned to death on Sunday night. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the police. The situation remains tense in the area although no further incidents were reported overnight,” Potelwa said in a statement.

It was reported that the unidentified bodies were set on fire after a mob justice attack, however, the police said the incident remained speculative until they were done with the ongoing investigation.

In a separate incident in January, two men were beaten and set alight in Hillview, Muizenberg and they were both declared dead at the scene due to the severity of their injuries.

The residents of Hillview said they heard people fighting during the early hours of the morning and later saw an angry mob set two people alight according to Daily Voice.

The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said they had responded to the incident after the paramedics extinguished the fire.

He said the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and sandwiched between two mattresses.

Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said a double murder case has been opened for investigation.

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