Makhado – A Limpopo man suspected to be part of gang robbing and terrorising the community was burnt to death by outraged members of the community at Madombidzha near Louis Trichardt on Monday.
Police said the community members hunted the suspect after his victim, a 25-year-old man, died from knife wounds last week.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said: "He was stabbed by a group of suspects and taken to the hospital and discharged last week without reporting to the police."
However, the victim died on Sunday at home and the community started to mobilise, looking for the suspects and without reporting the death to the police.
Police said community members barricaded roads, and according to Ngoepe, "today, at 11:30am, the same community allegedly arrested one suspected person and started assaulting him with various objects and burnt him to death".
Ngoepe said no arrests had been made yet and added that Public Order Police and local police were still monitoring the situation. Authorities were also clearing the barricaded roads.
Ngoepe said the victim of the vigilante killing had not yet been formally identified but that he was a male about 26 years old.
Police investigations were still continuing.
Locals said the gangs had been terrorising residents for months.
"They use to rob people, if they find a woman they robbed her, it’s a gang not an individual," said a local villager.
The suspected gang member was the third suspected criminal burnt to death in mob justice attacks in the Vhembe district since January.
African News Agency