Francesca Villette
TWO men became the latest victims of suspected mob justice attacks in the city yesterday, bringing to three the number of such incidents in a week.
Late yesterday afternoon, police forensics experts arrived at the horrific scene of a man who had been necklaced by angry community members in the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi.
The charred corpse was lying face down. A burnt door, wood and other flammable items were strewn at the scene and it appeared the killers had sealed him in a makeshift furnace.
Police spokesman Tembinkosi Kinana said the man’s identity had not been established and that the motive for the killing was unclear.
“We are investigating a case of murder. No one has been arrested yet and the circumstances are also being investigated.”
A Marikana resident, who requested to remain anonymous, said the man was a well-known thief who had robbed residents in the area.
Yesterday, he and another man were caught red-handed breaking into a house, said the resident. The other man managed to escape, but the victim was not as lucky.
“These are (thugs) who think they can steal from the poor. The community is tired of the crime, and these people have to be stopped. He had tried to steal my neighbour’s laptop,” she said.
Another resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity as he feared being targeted, said the fire that killed the victim was “massive”.
“They used anything they could find, including an old door and some scrap pieces of wood. The flames were massive and lasted for a long time.”
Earlier in Lansdowne, a man was left to bleed to death in the road in another suspected vigilante attack. Stones allegedly used to kill him were scattered around his lifeless body.
By deadline, Kinana did not have details surrounding this incident. Yesterday’s attack came days after a Mfuleni man was found dead in what also appeared to be a vigilante attack. He was stoned and burnt to death after he had allegedly tried to rob a woman walking to the taxi rank.
Police spokesman Andre Traut confirmed the incident and said it was being investigated.