Johannesburg - A man was burnt to death and his friend is barely clinging to life in hospital after a mob severely assaulted and later set them alight.
The incident happened in Hillbrow on Monday morning around 9am.
It is alleged that the pair were trying to rob someone at the corner of Edith Cavell and Eiselen streets.
However, the community that saw what was happening is alleged to have chased them down the street, beating them before setting them alight.
Captain Musa Shihambe of Hillbrow SAPS said it was not known if the two had used weapons at the time of the alleged robbery.
"The mob severely beat them then set them on fire. We also don't know what was used to burn them with, whether it was paraffin or petrol.
"One of them died around 6pm. The other one is still in hospital and in a critical condition," he said.
Shihambe said allegations from the community were that the two men were Zimbabwean. However, that had not been verified, he said.
In the video that was captured of the incident, one of the victims is engulfed in flames. He runs around with the hope of putting them out but trips and falls.
He gets up again and runs but ends up falling again. A man then approaches and throws a piece of cardboard on him, possibly with the intent to fuel the flames.
Police are investigating the incident.