The Brandvlei community has had enough of crime in their poverty stricken area.
Three suspected spaza shop robbers felt the community’s full force when they were chased down and beaten up in Brandvlei close to the N14 Ventersdorp Road. Police confirmed one of the suspects died.
According to a witness on scene, Martin Ndovana, the three men allegedly robbed the Fizara Tuck Shop the day before (17 March) and got away with an unknown amount of money and goods from the shop. The community was ready for the men when they tried the same tactics a day later at a different spaza shop in Siyahala.
The witness reported that after the men finished robbing the shop, they tried to flee through a small veldt but angry community members caught up to them.
“We are tired of these crooks coming into our neighborhoods stealing from us that is why we took the matter into our own hands. Robbers and thieves should take this as a warning, we are not going to sit back and take it anymore,” explained Ndovana.
The three suspects were badly beaten up by an unknown amount of residence. The Randfontein SAPS were called out to the scene to calm the angry mob and investigate the scene.
Ndovana also told the herald that there was another suspect who got away. He allegedly waited for the men in a car but fled from the scene when the residents caught up to the three suspects. The community confiscated two bags (used to allegedly carry stolen items), a knife and a toy gun presumably used in the foiled robbery earlier and the Fizara Tuck shop robbery the day before.
According to Captain Appel Ernst, Randfontein police spokesperson “When police arrived at the scene they found one of the beaten up suspects had passed away from his injuries. Police have now opened four cases they are investigating. One case of robbery, one of murder and two of assault.”
