Three more people were murdered this past week in the city of coal – each murder telling its own heart-wrenching tale.
On the afternoon of May 31, Witbank Police received a complaint about the community of Old Coronation taking action into their own hands, and dosing out vigilante justice, after a resident was found stabbed to death.
The mob justice broke out after one of the members came across a man’s corpse lying in a pool of sewage.
Stories of the discovery spread like a wild fire, and within moments the community members found the alleged murderer.
It’s believed that members of the community then started assaulting and stoning the suspected murderer.
He managed to get away and ran to his shack, where he barricaded himself inside.
The angry community members then petrol-bombed his shack, leaving him to burn to death.
“We urge the public to not take action into their own hands and let the police do their work – because what should have been one murder turned into two gruesome murders,” spokesperson from Witbank Police Station, Sgt David Ratau said.
In another incident that occurred on Sunday, June 2 – the SAPD was informed of a body that was found at a dumping site just outside of Old Coronation.
The officials attended the scene and came across the decomposed body of a man with his hands still tied behind his back.
It was later confirmed that some of the victim’s body parts were also missing.
After police investigation, the victim was later identified as Manabeng Sipho Sebopela.
Sipho was already reported missing on May 14 after he disappeared under suspicious circumstances on May 12.
“We extend our sincerest condolences to the Sebopela family,” Maureen Scheepers from SACCW (South African Community Crime Watch) Missing Persons’ Unit sadly added – urging anyone with information on the murder of Sipho to come forward.
Anyone with information concerning this case can contact Capt Masango on 079 551 2708 or 013 655 5105 or Maureen Scheepers on 082 565 6770.
“He was such a beautiful soul. He was an honest and loyal man and will be dearly missed,” one of his employers wrote on social media.
