6 murdered, 9 injured in brutal ‘vigilante’ attack
At approximately 5:30 on Sunday morning, August 27, the battered bodies of four of the men who were taken from Chagwe homestead were left outside the Dannhauser Community Health Centre.
Six men were murdered and nine others seriously injured over the weekend in what appears to be a case of vigilante justice.
“I watched helplessly as my brothers were being assaulted in front of me,” sighs Lucas Chagwe, recalling the brutal attack on his family.
“They came to my home, kicked down all the doors, took my brothers outside the gate, assaulted them for over an hour with sjamboks, knobkieries and pangas, poured water over their heads and then shocked them repeatedly. They were demanding firearms. Then, they took my brothers away. The next morning, my sister called me and asked me to go to Naas Clinic. When I got there, I found the lifeless bodies of my brother and a close family friend dumped next to the guard house. Four more of my brothers were killed and left at the Dannhauser hospital,” said Lucas.
“They call themselves a ‘crime fighting’ group but they are being used to fight personal grievances. Anyone can lie to them and say, ‘That person stole something from me.’ Without investigating if it is true or not, these people will assault that person, even to the death.”
Police sources allege that it began with a meeting among members of an Osizweni ‘crime fighting’ group referred to as Abanqondisi, which took place in the Springboklaagte area (Dannhauser) on Saturday, August 26.
At the close of the meeting, members of the group proceeded to the Chagwe family homestead (which is located in the Dannhauser area), where they allegedly demanded that the family relinquish the firearms Sibongiseni Chagwe is believed to have used in the commission of taxi related murders.
Sibongiseni is currently in custody awaiting trial in connection with these taxi related killings. He will make his next court appearance at the Dundee Regional Court on September 18.
Witnesses say the Abanqondisi left the Chagwe homestead on the insistence of Sibongiseni’s sister, Lungile Chagwe.
At about 22:30 that same night, a mob of more than 30 returned to the Chagwe homestead wearing balaclavas and armed with knobkierries and sjamboks.
They also demanded that the family relinquish the firearms used in the taxi related killings in the area.
Witnesses allege that the masked vigilantes rounded up 15 men and boys, most of whom were members of the Chagwe family, and took them away by force.
At approximately 5:30 on Sunday morning, August 27, the battered bodies of Lindokuhle Chagwe (38), Vincent Nkosi (31), Siyabonga Cwagwe (33), and 17- year old Sihle Mvulane were left outside the Dannhauser Community Health Centre. The bodies of Lungani Chagwe (32) and Mxobeni Mthembu (30) were left at Naas Clinic.
The nine others who were taken, most of whom were boys of 15 and 16-years of age were treated for serious injuries at Dannhauser CHC before being transported to hospital.
Forty-one men and women were arrested for the attack on the Chagwe family. They made their first appearance at the Dannhauser Magistrates Court on Tuesday, August 29, amid heavy police presence.
Presiding officer, Mr Ngubane, took a decision to hold the court proceedings in camera with only court officials and members of the media allowed to be present. This was to ensure that the identities of the accused are not made public knowledge prior to the identity parades being conducted, as this could have an undesirable impact on the investigation.
The men and women who appeared before court were advised that they are being charged with 15 counts of kidnapping, six counts of murder and five counts of assault with intention to cause grievous bodily harm.
The state prosecutor informed the court that more charges of assault will be added at a future date, and explained that these charges were not added yet because statements could not be obtained from some of the victims who were hospitalised with critical injuries.
The case was postponed to September 7 for bail investigation and possible bail application. While this postponement is longer than the prescribed seven days, the attorneys representing the accused said they needed the additional time due to the volume of clients that had to be consulted with ahead of the next court date. Court proceedings were concluded with the state informing the court of its decision to oppose bail.
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