One man has died and another admitted to hospital with serious injuries following a brutal mob justice attack in Zwide recently.
The situation unfolded when the sister of the deceased realised that her SASSA card and book were missing from her house in Somfula Street in Zwide.
When her brother, Luwando Kana (31) and her cousin denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of her cards, she informed the community. Approximately 30 people arrived at the house and took the duo to a nearby park where they were assaulted with sjamboks, water pipes and sticks.
According to police spokesperson, Col. Priscilla Naidu, after being beaten, the two were brought back and the following morning, Kana was found dead in the house. His 42-year-old cousin sustained severe injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
“SAPS KwaZakhele members arrested five suspects at their houses in Zwide. They are charged for murder and attempted murder,” Naidu said.
Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner, Maj. Gen. Vuyisile Ncata, has once again strongly condemned these senseless acts of violence. “Irrespective of how angry a person or community is, the law cannot be taken into their own hands and any act of a criminal nature either seen or perceived must be reported to the police.
“Every citizen must abide by the law, inform police of any suspect(s) or call the police if you (the community) managed to arrest an alleged suspect in order to avoid any further criminal acts through mob justice. Vigilantism cannot be a justifiable act of punishment for anyone. The community must refrain from making assumptions without verifying the facts. Many times the community takes the law into their own hands and no cases are reported against the person(s) they allege to be a suspect(s),” he said.
