MOKOPANE – In the early hours of Saturday morning at about 03:00 a group of community members in Tshamahanzi village attacked, stoned and burnt a man to death.
According to LT. Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe it is alleged that Obed Khoza (37) from Bushbuckridge in the Mpumalanga Province was at Tshamahanzi village attending a night vigil for the funeral of one of his relatives. He later walked around the village where he met Jeffrey Ndlovu(24) a resident of Tshamahansi. They engaged in an argument and Khoza was stabbed to death with a sharp instrument.
Col. Ngoepe said: “Subsequently, members of the community mobilized and started attacking the suspect with stones and set him alight in retaliation to the killing of Khoza. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Ndlovu was previously arrested for crimes such as rape, stock theft, burglary and robbery.”
Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, the Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, has condemned in the strongest possible terms the apparent continuous acts of vigilantism committed by some members of the Community in the Province.
Gen Ledwaba said: “All members of the community need to stop this tendency immediately otherwise they will meet the long arm of the law and that no stone will be left un turned in this matter until all the people involved are arrested. We are also calling upon all our communities to assist the police by providing valuable information that can lead to the arrest of these criminals”.
Anyone with information about the suspect’s in this matter may contact Colonel Moshapati Sekanka at 0825658505 or the nearest Police Station or the crime stop number 0860010111, or the crime line sms 32211.
redaksie.bosvelder@nmgroup.co.za
