Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe has condemned the killing of a man in an alleged mob justice incident in Lwamondo, Tshalovha village.
A manhunt has been launched for the suspects who allegedly attacked and burned the man after he was allegedly found naked attempting to rape an elderly woman.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Hlulani Mashaba said the mob justice incident occurred in the Vuwani policing area on Sunday.
“On their arrival at the scene, they found a male victim lying on the ground with severe burn wounds on his body without any clothes and nobody at the scene,” said Mashaba.
He said the man, who was in his mid 30s, was identified as Singo Tshifhiwa by his next of kin.
“The deceased was allegedly found in a one-roomed house when he attempted to rape an elderly woman who screamed for assistance. The members of the community assembled and found the deceased naked,” said Mashaba.
The deceased was then taken outside the house and burned to death on the street.
On February 18, residents of Tshikuwi village in Venda, Limpopo, frustrated following five days of disruption to the cellphone network after telecommunications tower batteries were stolen, allegedly beat Samuel Nthangeni, 24, to death after accusing him of the theft.
The latest crime statistics revealed that more than 1,000 people had been killed in mob justice incidents while another 781 were injured in assaults by angry crowds.
Gauteng had the highest number with 84 mob justice attacks, followed by the Eastern Cape with 80 incidents and KwaZulu-Natal with 78 incidents.
Police urged anyone with information on the latest incident to contact the investigating officer, Sgt Randzu Mabedle, on 079 849 6309 or the crime stop number 0860010111, or the nearest police station.
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