Mob turns on 2 boys
TWO boys aged 18 and 19 were victims of mob justice after they were caught stabbing a young boy in Ga-Matamanyane, Moletjie last Sunday.
MOLETJIE – TWO boys aged 18 and 19 were victims of mob justice after they were caught stabbing a young boy in Ga-Matamanyane, Moletjie last Sunday.
The boys identified themselves as members of Three Bullets, a gang that has been terrorising the village of Ga-Chokoe, also in Moletjie.
According to an eye-witness, who did not wish to be named, five members of the gang found Defenders FC players celebrating their victory at one of the homes in the village and began to stab one of the players, who is only known as Mokgapa.
“Three members managed to flee after they were caught, but the two were not so lucky. They were caught and the villagers beat them, asking why they stabbed the boy. They said they were looking for a man known only as Mokgapa, but did not know what he looked like,” he said.
Asked why they stabbed “Mokgapa”, one of the gang members, who identified himself as Tumi Laka, said he did not stab the boy.
“A man we only know as Mokgapa stabbed my brother at Ga-Chokoe recently, so we came here to seek answers. Pitsi Semenya is the one who stabbed the boy without even trying to make sure if we caught the right Mokgapa,” said Laka.
The other boy identified himself as William Mokoele, and said they were not there to fight, but to understand why Mokgapa stabbed his friend’s brother.
“We do not carry knives with us often, but this time around we decided to carry them so that we could be able to defend ourselves if Mokgapa attacked us with his friends. We blame Semenya for this situation because he stabbed the guy and ran away, now we are paying for his sins,” said Mokoele.
The other two gang members who escaped were identified as Tiffy Moloto and Thabi Ralefatana.
The two boys were later taken to the Seshego police station for questioning.
Seshego police spokesperson, WO Mothemane Malefo, confirmed the incident and urged communities not to take the law into their own hands.
“We do not condone mob justice and we still urge communities to work closely with community policing forums. We will arrest anyone who is caught in the act of mob justice. South Africa is a free country and people should bear in mind that the law is a norm,” said Malefo.
He added that the Seshego police station ran campaigns regarding mob justice to educate people about the issue.
