Pretoria: Limpopo police have arrested four suspects after the brutal attack on a 64-year-old man who was set alight and his houses torched during a mob justice incident at Ngove village in Giyani, Limpopo.
"Police will continue working hard to ensure that those who take the law into their own hands are arrested and face the full might of the law,” said Ledwaba.
Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe explained that the community members allegedly went on the rampage after the body of 60-year-old Phosa Egnes Maswanganyi, who went missing on Tuesday, was discovered hanging from a tree in the nearby bushes.
“The residents then accused the deceased's husband and his friend of being involved in her disappearance and her death. Subsequent to that, they torched the husband's two rondavel houses and thereafter set him alight. He was badly injured and taken to hospital for medical treatment,” said Ngoepe.
“The Giyani SAPS, together with the Public Order Police unit, responded quickly. The crowd had already left and moved to the other house where they tried to burn it, too. The police responded swifty and managed to stop them.”
Ngoepe said cases of arson and attempted murder were opened and police immediately started investigating, which resulted in the arrest of the four suspects.
The suspects were expected to appear in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court soon.
Ngoepe said the situation in the village was calm, with members of the SAPS still monitoring developments.
“More arrests are expected. Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects may contact Colonel Robert Mudau at 082 729 0351, the Crime Stop number 0860 010 111, the nearest police station or MySAPSApp,” the police said. | African News Agency (ANA)