Alleged rape suspect gets beating of his life

Angry community members at Maniini outside Thohoyandou went on the rampage last Thursday and attacked a young man alleged to have committed a rape, as well as the police who rescued a man.

The man, in his twenties, was allegedly caught after allegedly trying to rape a girl, who was still wearing her school uniform, in the bushes nearby the village.

Residents who made a citizen's arrest brought the young man to the Tshikovha royal palace, but not before giving him a taste of his own medicine. The man was badly injured before the police rescued him.

Residents allege that incidents of rape are on the increase in the village, with the accused man suspected of being one of the perpetrators. Only a fortnight ago, an elderly woman was allegedly raped by seven men, and the community now suspect he could be one of the criminals. Ironically, the suspect's mother and the mother of the victim are friends and they attend church together.

The mother of the victim was given the opportunity to address the big crowd that had gathered at the royal palace. She told the angry community members that she had inspected the girl and that no penetration had taken place. She said the girl had minor bruises on the neck, but no rape had taken place.

This angered the crowd, who started throwing stones at the police. They, in turn, scared the angry villagers by firing shots into the air. The police and the suspect managed to drive away, with stones raining on them and the van.

After the altercation, the child, the mother of the victim and the mother of the suspect left together in one vehicle, which also angered the residents. Thohoyandou police spokesperson Lt. Col Mashudu Malelo said a malicious-damage-to-property case had been opened in connection with the pelting of the police van.

"We are again making an appeal to the community not to take the law into their own hands as it is a crime in itself. People, especially the youth, will find themselves with criminal records that would work to their disadvantage when looking for jobs. This also affects and tampers with investigations and we ask our people to desist from doing that," he said.

Date:20 November 2016

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

Read: 3091