Fourth Vigilante Killing in Philippi Since 12 January

A man was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in Mbovane Street, Philippi, Cape Town.

• A man suspected of burglary was chased, beaten unconscious, stripped naked and set alight with a mattress in Philippi on Thursday morning, the fourth vigilante killing in Browns Farm, Philippi, since 12 January.
• Police are yet to make any arrests.
• A resident said people are taking the law into their own hands because criminals are terrorising the community and the police and justice system are failing to address crime.

A man was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in Mbovane Street, Philippi, Cape Town. He had been suspected of burglary. He was chased, caught, stripped naked, beaten with sticks and stoned until unconscious. A mattress was then placed on top of him and set alight, according to an eye-witness, who said seeing the killing had left her traumatised.

Since 12 January, four men have been murdered in separate incidents of vigilantism in Browns Farm, Philippi, Cape Town.

Police are yet to make any arrests.

On 18 February, 18-year-old Sinethemba Mxhaso, accused of robbing an elderly man of his cellphone and cash, was beaten to death by residents of Malema informal settlement. Another man, believed to be Mxhaso’s accomplice, was taken to hospital by paramedics.

On 13 February, a man suspected of a smash-and-grab robbery from a car at the corner of New Eisleben and Bristol Road was stoned to death.

On 12 January, a 25-year-old man suspected of robbery was dragged to a park and beaten unconscious with planks and sjamboks by about 30 people before being set alight on Sakhwatsha Street. Residents say he was a known criminal who had been caught before.

Resident Khanya Ngozi told GroundUp people are taking the law into their own hands because criminals are terrorising the community. He said people were “tired and frustrated” by the failure of the police and the justice system to address crime.

People keep getting arrested but are then released, said Ngozi. “So why would we hand them over to the cops when we know we can eliminate them for good?”

Another resident, Ntsikelelo Mkiti, said, “As much as the country’s law states that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, we interrogate them and they confess to their crimes. Thus we punish them.”

“Communities are living under immense pressure as violent crime continues to devastate families. When these criminals are arrested they boast that they will be released and will continue where they left off,” said Mkiti.

Other residents condemned vigilantism.

“You cannot fix a wrong by doing a wrong. By doing that you are a criminal,” said a resident, who wished to remain anonymous. “Taking the law into one’s own hands is never the answer but brutal and barbaric.”

Commenting for GroundUp last week, Lizette Lancaster, head of the Institute for Security Studies’ Justice and Violence Prevention Programme, said, “The police need to be held accountable, to be seen to reduce crime and investigate cases properly. The country needs strong community leaders and local councillors to condemn all forms of violence and take community concerns seriously.”

Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said Nyanga police registered a murder following the discovery of the burned, naked body at the corner of Mbovane and Mnqaba Street. The deceased is a young male approximately 27-year-old and unknown.

“The South African Police Service condemns vigilantism in the strongest possible terms. Acts of mob justice are criminal and pose a direct threat to the safety and stability of our communities. No individual or group has the authority to take the law into their own hands, regardless of the circumstances. Such actions undermine the justice system and fuel further violence,” said Van Wyk.

“Detectives are following all available leads to identify the victims and trace those responsible for this brutal crime. We urge anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information that could assist the investigation to make contact with the police immediately.”

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