Rustenburg - A teenager was stabbed to death, triggering a mob justice attack which left two men dead in Taung, North West police said on Friday.
Nineteen-year-old Onthatile Ntlhaeng sustained several stab wounds as he walked home with his girlfriend from a local tavern and the pair was confronted by two men who demanded their cell phones, police spokesman Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said.
"Although the girlfriend managed to escape unharmed, Ntlhaeng was stabbed multiple times and certified dead shortly after the incident," he said.
He said police had arrested two suspects in Kokomeng village, after which they were attacked by about 60 community members from nearby Molelema village who demanded that the suspects be released to them.
"It was after the police had left the village with the suspects that the mob allegedly attacked a house and ultimately killed two men aged 26 and 30," Mokgwabone said.
"As a result, the police are also investigating two counts of murder. No one has been arrested at this stage."
Provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Sello Kwena applauded the police for their courage and professional conduct amid the attack by community members, which he condemned.