MEC MORWENG IMPLORES ON COMMUNITIES TO DESIST FROM MOB JUSTICE

MAHIKENG – The MEC for the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has implored on community members to desist from mob justice but rather report any wrong doing to the police. This follows incidents of mob justice this week where three people died from assault by community members after being suspect of burglary and stock theft.

It is reported that some community members of Seberia Village in Mareetsane attacked two men on suspicion of stock theft. The owner of the livestock requested the community to assist him locate it after it went missing.

It is when while searchig, the community came across a vehicle hidden in the nearby forest with no one inside nor on sight and the vehicle was torched.

The police were called and the community came with three young people they accused to be suspects with one badly beaten.

The injured one was taken to Gelukspan Hospital where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.
Two other young men aged 21 and 23 years, who were alleged to be suspects, told the community that the deceased had asked them to accompany him but didn’t disclose where they were going.

Meanwhile in Moletsamongwe village outside Mmabatho in yet another mob justice incident, one person was killed and a Gauteng registered vehicle torched.

The police were alerted by a local resident who claimed his livestock was being stolen. When the police arrived they found two men, alleged to be Lesotho nationals and another one who was alledged to be from Orange Farm in Gauteng and the owner of the torched vehicle. All three who claimed to be shepherd’s and promised job to look for 27 sheep that were to be transported, were badly beaten by community members.

In another incident earlier in the week, four men appeared at the Bafokeng Magistrate Court in Tlhabane near Rustenburg following the kidnapping and assaulting of a 43-year-old man suspected of a burglary. They allegedly abducted him from a tavern and took him to the nearby dam where he was assaulted and he was found by a passer-by already dead.

Investigation in all incidents continues.

MEC Morweng appeals to the communities to allow the law to take its course. “I want to warn our communities that irrespective of how they feel, taking a law unto themselves is also a contravention of the law. We plead with the community members to report all forms of criminality to the police,” pleaded MEC Morweng.