A marked police vehicle with the South African Police Service’s emblem. Picture: Supplied.
A suspected thief was allegedly stoned to death by a mob in Dambuza, Pietermaritzburg, in what appears to have been a case of vigilantism.
Witnesses said the unidentified, armed man was accompanied by an accomplice to one of the cottages in the area, where they demanded money from the occupants at around 4 pm on Sunday.
The alleged thief reportedly entered the premises while the other suspect stood by the gate.
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It is alleged that a struggle began between the suspect and the tenant, during which the suspect grazed one of the tenant’s hands with a firearm. The cottage dwellers and community members then intervened and allegedly stoned the suspect to death.
The thief’s accomplice fled the scene in a vehicle that was waiting a short distance away.
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Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson in the area, Kwenza Xulu, condemned the decision by the community to take the law into their own hands.
As much as there is a need for the community to be strict, they need to call the police. The is no need to beat someone to death, even if he did wrong. They need to report the matter to the police,” he added.
Msunduzi Municipality Ward 21 councillor Sbongumusa Zuma said the incident was distressing.
“From what we hear, the suspects are not from the area.”
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He said part of the problem was that due to the low rentals in the area, many people come here seeking residence, but background checks are not done.
That leads to having a hive of people from other places come and commit crime in our area. A person’s background needs to be known before they are allowed to live in a certain place.
Zuma also condemned the community’s vigilantism, saying: “This paints a very bad image about our area. It chases away people who have intentions of investing in our area. The police must [be allowed to] do their job in fighting crime.”
He added that even though there have been many incidents of crime occurring in the area, they have seen huge progress in crime prevention.
We have a good working relationship with the police in tackling crime. These crimes are also politically motivated, with the aim of making sure that the area is not dominated by the current leadership.
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KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Plessislaer SAPS is investigating a case of murder.
An unknown man was reportedly found on the side of the road with multiple injuries. It is alleged that he was beaten to death by the community.
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