Mother and son speak out after assault by community patrollers

As communities stand up against crime, a wave of vigilantism and mob justice is sweeping the whole country.
Unfortunately, enraged community members on the warpath have also harmed those who say they are innocent and have been wrongfully targeted.
Maria Lebogang’s son is one of the community members who did not escape the wrath of community patrollers. He was beaten and sjamboked by a group of vigilantes on the morning of Sunday, 4 March.
The 25-year-old told the Herald how the night out with his friends at a nearby pub turned ugly. ‘We were on our way home after the pub closed, drunk and joking around like we always do. We saw a group of people carrying sjamboks at the robots.
The only thing that came to mind was that we were going to get beaten up so we decided to run away.
When I tried to get away, I slipped and fell down.
I was not even carrying a knife. In no time, the group started lashing me. I was screaming and crying as the whips lashed into my whole body.
There were about six to eight people beating me up but I could only recognise one of them.
I told him I was going to report him to the police but he said I should go ahead, he did not care.’
The victim says his friends returned and his brother had to carry him home on his back.
He was in agony and he could not walk.
Maria says she called the ambulance twice when her son got back home but no one arrived. ‘He had to go to sleep with his body aching from the assault,’ she said.
They decided to take him to the hospital later in the morning. ‘Luckily, he was given priority when we arrived at the hospital and he was assisted quickly.
‘He walks with a limp… I had to also take him to a specialist for his leg and he had to see a physiotherapist last Friday,’ she said.
The mother says she is angry and saddened by the whole incident. ‘I gave birth to a healthy boy and he may end up being disabled because of this,’ she said.
‘I’m not taking my son’s side. I‘m not with him when he’s out there having a good time with his friends.
I keep telling him that it’s not safe to go out at night and he must stop it.
He is still young and has a lot to offer this world,’ she said.
The Ikageng SAPS spokesperson, Const. Kelebogile Trom has condemned this incident and confirmed that a case of Assault GBH (grievous bodily harm) has been opened at the police station.
‘Crime affects all of us but we must not let anger cloud our judgement by assaulting people.
Mob justice is a serious offence and we must leave it up to the police to do their job.
‘Rather bring the suspect to the police unharmed,’ she warned.