Cape Town - A horiffic incident in which a man was beaten to death with a rock - and his friend fatally assaulted - in Dunoon has highlighted the social challenges in dealing with vigilantism in the Western Cape.
Alexia Philander accompanied the Cape Argus to Saza Street where her 22-year-old brother, Colin Philander, was killed in a an alleged vigilante attack last Saturday after being accused of a crime she says he had not committed.
It was about 8pm when two of his friends invited him to play dominos at a well-known spot close to his home.
“One of his friends apparently robbed a man but Colin knew nothing about it. This man then showed up with a taxi full of people to find the person who robbed him. Colin’s friend ran off, and he had to face this group alone.
“He tried telling them that he had not been involved in the robbery, but they began beating him. They bashed his head with a rock, and he probably died from the blow.
“He was a fighter; he was a tall guy so there were men that held him down while the others beat him,” Philander said of the attack on her brother.
Gewyn Basson, 18, who was with Philander, was also beaten to death after he tried to rescue his friend. The angry group turned on him when they had finished with their first victim. Basson’s family refused to speak to the media for fear of reprisal.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut said the circumstances surrounding the death of the two men were being investigated and that no one had been arrested in connection with the deaths.
The attacks in Dunoon are the latest in a number of vigilante-related deaths that have rocked the Western Cape. Crime experts believe it is an indication that residents in informal settlements have a “festering distrust of police”.
Advocate Vusi Pikoli, who with Judge Kate O’Regan headed the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into policing, said there was a low level of public confidence in police when communities resorted to taking the law into their own hands rather than reporting crime.
The commission’s aim was to investigate allegations of police inefficiency and a breakdown in relations between police and the community.
Pikoli, now Western Cape police ombudsman, said: “Vigilante killings are a result of trust issues and a lack of confidence in police. Lawlessness arises when suspects are attacked by communities. It is a problem.”
Craig Oosthuizen, co-ordinator of the safety policing and justice programme of the NGO Ndifuna Ukwazi, has been researching the prominence of vigilante attacks in townships for the last few years.
He found that the occurrence of vigilante attacks was “highly concentrated” in informal settlements because residents felt neglected by the police.
Oosthuizen said: “The police still don’t have a plan to deal with vigilantism.”
Last week, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko released the crime statistics that showed 49 people were murdered in South Africa each day. Since last year, murder increased by 4.6 percent, attempted murder by 3.2 percent and aggravated robbery by 8.5 percent.
Last week, tensions rose in Masiphumelele between residents and police over the arrest of seven men in connection with an alleged vigilante attack - the third in a week. It was reported last Sunday that a mob attacked two men who they believed were burgling homes in the area.
A 27-year-old man suspected of rape was beaten and burnt to death while a 30-year-old later died in hospital after being attacked.
A Facebook user last week uploaded a video of an alleged vigilante attack near the Salt River train station. The footage showed a group of people attacking a man, beating him with their fists and kicking him until he tumbled to the ground while a crowd shouted: “Beat him.”
Timeline to communities meting out justice
Here’s a breakdown of reported vigilante attacks in recent years.
* August 24, 2012 - An independent Commission of Inquiry is established by Premier Helen Zille into allegations of police inefficiency and a breakdown in relations with the community of Khayelitsha which was said to be behind a spate of attacks.
* October 21, 2013 -The Commission invites the public to makestatements.
* January 21, 2014 - The first week of the sitting of the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry headed by ex-Concourt Justice Kate O’Regan and Advocate Vusi Pikoli.
* January 1, 2015 - The body of a man is discovered at the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi. He is believed to have been necklaced by the community after he was apparently caught trying to break into a house.
* July 6, 2015 - Two men accused of stealing a cellphone in Heideveldis ambushed by a crowd and set on fire.
* September 26, 2015 - Two men are stoned to death in Dunoon for allegedly robbing homes.
* September 27 2015 - Two men are attacked in Masiphumelele for allegedly burgling homes.
* September 24, 2015 - Two men are attacked by a mob for allegedly raping a woman. One man died and another suffered extensive injuries.
* October 1, 2015 - A man is attacked at Salt River train station for allegedly trying to grab a cellphone from a commuter.
Cape Argus