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The house that was set alight by the angry mob.

Angry mob burns down car and house

 

In yet another incident of mob justice, a man was killed and his house set alight at Gondeni Ha-Mavhunga village in the Nzhelele area.

According to an eyewitness, the incident happened at the village on Saturday night (5 August), not long after a local petrol station was robbed. A crowd gathered and started looking for the suspects. Soon afterwards, a suspicious-looking car was spotted. “We found balaclavas, sjamboks, gloves and a bag full of new clothes in the car,” said a community member, who refused to be named.

The angry mob then made their way to the home of the man who was pointed out as a possible suspect linked to the vehicle as well as a series of crimes in the area. The crowd started to gather outside the suspect’s home. “He came out and locked the gate and told the angry mob that if they opened his gate he would show them flames,” the resident said

“That’s when they started throwing burning tyres at his house. The man tried to extinguish the fire with water from inside the house, but the fire started spreading. A short while later his spouse came out, but the mob did not do anything to her. The fire in the house got bigger and the man decided to surrender. The moment he stepped out of the house, they started throwing stones at him,” the eyewitness said.

The vehicle, which was parked not far from the house, was also set alight by the angry mob.

Limpopo police spokesperson Lt Col Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed the incident and said that a group of residents had allegedly gone on the rampage and burnt down a house while the man was sleeping inside. He said that the mob accused the man of terrorizing them and of being behind business and house robberies in and around the area. He said the deceased was identified as Mr Avhurengwi Mabala, aged around 40.

“Information we have is that the man, suspected of the crimes, jumped out of his burning house, but the mob caught him and assaulted him with various objects and left him for dead. The man was later taken to hospital by police for medical treatment, but he died shortly after being admitted. The suspects in this matter are still unknown and there are no arrests so far,” he said.

Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of these suspects can contact Captain Richard Boshomane at 079 894 5501 or the nearest police station or the crime stop number 0860010111 or the crime line SMS 32211.

The car that was set alight by an angry mob of residents

The remains of what used to be furniture in the house.

 

Date:14 August 2017

By: Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

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