A recent spike in mob justice attacks are cause for concern in the country.
In Mpumalanga four separate mob justice incidents left seven people dead and three injured, within days of each other.
MP Acting Police Commissioner, Major General Thulani Phahla urged the community not to take the law into their own hands.
“Taking the law into your own hands is a crime punishable by law,” he said.
#sapsMP The Acting Provincial Commissioner in Mpumalanga, Maj Gen Phahla has raised his concern over the rising number of mob justice cases reported within a short period, urges community to #ReportCrime MEhttps://t.co/9doXiMkFNu pic.twitter.com/XcHPp23jAg
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) May 12, 2021
A graphic video of one of the incidents landed on social media, where a mob of angry attackers can be seen shooting at, kicking, and beating an alleged perpetrator.
The incident which is reported to have taken place in Aliwal North, in the Eastern Cape is a gruesome depiction of mob justice gone wrong.
SAPS can be seen unable to control the situation, with several bystanders getting involved taking matters into their own hands.
The man is alleged to have stabbed multiple people before the mob got a hold of him.
Bantu base Aliwal North ,kuthiwa lento yenzeke apho nangumntu ngadubuleki 🙆♂️🙆♂️ pic.twitter.com/FRWUjf55M9
— Mr X (@Restart_Azania) May 11, 2021
In another incident reported this Monday, police were called to a farm in Vaalbank after human remains were found in a car.
According to police, the four occupants were burnt beyond recognition. It is rumoured the men were caught stealing goats when they were thwarted by community members.
No remorse for GBV
Another incident involving a 40-year-old man who was beaten to death after allegedly assaulting a 34-year-old woman in Tonga.
The man was then arrested and taken to hospital but died from injuries he had sustained.
GBV is a very sensitive subject in the country and Police Minister Bheki Cele says the DNA evidence backlog in gender-based violence cases is receiving urgent attention.
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cele on backlog in gbv cases cut Natasha
He was speaking in Parliament during a debate on the matter, where he revealed that the national backlog in the forensic testing of DNA samples now stands at more than 208,000.
He called the delays unacceptable and apologized to all GBV victims, assuring them the police service will be transparent about how the issue will be resolved.
