Johannesburg - Two men suspected of livestock theft were killed and set alight by villagers in Ga-Molepo, Limpopo.
Spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the men's charred bodies were discovered on Tuesday.
"The deceased were allegedly kidnapped on Monday 21 October 2019 by community members from different villages at Ga-Molepo, apparently accusing them of stock theft. They then took them to a community hall at Sebjeng where they were severely assaulted. The victims were thereafter taken to the bushes next to the old Setlakalane High School where they were burned. A motor vehicle belonging to one of the deceased was also found torched a few kilometers from the scene," Mojapelo said.
The deceased were identified as Thabana Mokgohloa, 58 and Mack Mashapa, aged 55.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba condemned the brutal incident.
"People who committed these vigilante acts will be hunted down and brought to book. South Africa is a constitutional democracy where the rule of law reigns supreme and in which the presumption of innocence must be granted until proved otherwise by the court of law. People must report anyone they suspect of being criminal to the police and not take the law into their own hands."