BOPHELONG – The duo aged between 28 and 30 were dragged from their homes while sleeping in the wee hours of the morning by a group of men who wrongfully accused them of stealing.
According to Theresia Mpele, mother to Justice Mpele (28), she was fetched moments after her son was taken from the home.
“The last time I saw my son was on a Sunday when he came to my house to collect supper. In the early hours of the morning, a relative came to my residence and told me my son was been taken, brutally beaten attacked, and tied in an open space. I quickly rushed to the scene and found my son in a bad state,” she said.
Mpele said she found Justice tied together with the other victim while they were stripped naked.
“My son’s body was tied together with the other boy from the area. They were stripped naked, stabbed in their upper body, and burnt with plastic. There were candles next to their muddy bodies mixed with blood,” she added.
The constantly whipping mother told the paper that Justice died by mistake.
“Locals said justice was wrongly implicated in this matter. I was told the other beaten victim pointed out another Justice. My son died for nothing,” she said.
“If he was indeed the one who stole the phone, why didn’t they approach me as his mother instead of killing him like a dog? I want justice for my Justice,” said the grieving mother.
Nobantu George (55), a neighbor said she heard banging sounds when Justice was taken by a mob.
“I heard the sounds of a door being pelted with rocks. When I peeped through the window, I saw a mob dragging and assaulting Justice. Moments later, the helpless sound of a beaten Justice slowly decreased as they left with him,” she said.
Sedibeng District Cluster spokesman Sergeant Shaan Motsapi said a case of double murder was opened at Vanderbijlpark police station.
“At this moment, no one was arrested and investigations are underway. We urge the community to refrain from taking law on their hand,” he said.
