Woman dies after brutal mob attack at Saselamani

In yet another brutal act of vigilantism, a 37-year-old woman was assaulted and then allegedly tied to the back of her car. She was dragged behind the vehicle for several kilometres before being dumped in the bushes. When the police tried to intervene, the mob started throwing stones at them. The woman died a short while later in hospital because of the injuries sustained.

The shocking incident happened on Monday night (11^th) at about 22:10 at Salema village in the Saselamani area. From what could be established the attack on the woman had its origins in an incident that took place in the area two weeks earlier.

At the time, social media was abuzz about a man who went missing under mysterious circumstances. Community members were quick to offer suggestions as to how the missing man could be found. One of the suggestions was that the community members should each contribute a certain amount and seek the services of a traditional healer to help unravel the mystery of the missing man.

Exactly how much was collected is unknown, and whether the traditional healer who was consulted had mentioned names of “culprits” may have fuelled the actions. An atmosphere of fear has since prevailed in the community, and everyone is talking in low tones.

The woman who died because of Monday night’s attack has been identified as Ms Portua Basani Shuma. She is well known in the area and has been running a cash-loan business at Salema, in the Malamulele District.

The incident was confirmed by Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo. He said that they had received information about a vigilante incident taking place in the village on Monday night. An angry mob of people had apparently gathered at a house belonging to a local woman, threatening to burn it down.

“We rushed to the scene to discover that the mob had tied the victim to her motor vehicle and dragged her to the bushes,” said Mojapelo. She was dragged behind the car between the villages of Shikundu and Salema, for several kilometres.

When the police arrived on the scene and started searching for the victim, the mob started pelting stones at them. The police managed to disperse the crowd with the use of rubber bullets and the victim was rescued and transported to Malamulele Hospital, where she subsequently succumbed to her injuries.

Mojapelo said that the mob had torched the victim's house afterwards and damaged a motor vehicle. “Damage to the house and the car is estimated to be around R200,000,” he said.

Some of the residents, who preferred to stay anonymous, believe that the incident might have been stirred by jealousy. They believe it may also have been fuelled by those who owed the victim large sums of money.

The incident was widely condemned and the first to speak out against such violence was the acting provincial commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Major-General Jan Scheepers. He warned community members who still perpetuated acts of vigilantism that the police would be relentless in hunting them down and bringing them to book.

Meanwhile, Mojapelo indicated that a case of murder, as well as public violence, arson and malicious damage to property, isbeing investigated. The police have also launched a manhunt for the suspects.

“Anyone with information that can assist with investigations and apprehension of the suspects should urgently contact Detective Sergeant Rhulani Ngobeni on 0722533177 or crime stop number 0860010111 or the nearest police or My SAPSApp,” Mojapelo said.

Date:15 April 2022

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.

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