LIMPOPO – The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has in the strongest terms condemned the brutal murders of three people by the community of Ga-Wally village in Mokwakwaila, just outside Tzaneen at about 01:00on Sunday, 26 May.
In a statement released, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said preliminary police investigations revealed that the brutal attack follows a chain of events after the three deceased were accused of attempting to rob an elderly women from the same village.
“It is reported that during the incident the elderly women screamed for help, whereby locals came to aid then mobilised and hunted down the alleged intruder until they caught the three unknown middle aged men. After accusing them of being responsible for house robberies in the area, the three were then brutally assaulted with assortment of objects,” said Mojapelo in the statement.
He added that after the police reacted to the frantic calls emanating from the area, they arrived on the scene to find the gruesome sight of a blood spattered area and three badly assaulted people lying dead. The crowd had already dispersed, he asid.
The Cluster Commander of Tzaneen, Major General Maggy Mathebula has since visited the scene and immediately mobilised all relevant police resources. The Provincial Commissioner has also ordered an immediate investigation into the mob justice attack and said that all the suspects responsible must be hunted down as a matter of urgency.
“The police will be merciless in dealing with any people who take the law into their own hands by attacking people they suspect of being criminals,” said General Ledwaba.“ He further told residents to desist from these attacks and urged them to instead call the police to effect arrests.
No arrests have been affected as yet and the police have urged anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspects involved in this matter, to contact Colonel Cecil Machimane at 0824517181. Alternatively they can also contact the 24-hour crime stop number on 0860010111, the crime line sms number 32211 or the nearest police station.
