A 30-year-old man was severely beaten by a group of angry residents at Hlalani Location in Grahamstown East after residents suspected him of being in possession of a stolen television set from Lombo Street in Tantyi. Witnesses say his hands were tied with a wire and he was dragged behind a taxi.
A 30-year-old man was severely beaten by a group of angry residents at Hlalani Location in Grahamstown East after residents suspected him of being in possession of a stolen television set from Lombo Street in Tantyi. Witnesses say his hands were tied with a wire and he was dragged behind a taxi.
Police spokesperson Inspector Milanda Coetzer said that the man’s injuries were so severe that he was left with four open wounds that needed stitches. He also had abrasions on his upper body. The man had his clothes ripped off and was forced to run naked down a street in Tantyi Location, shouting that he was a thief.
After receiving medical attention, the victim opened a case of attempted murder. But in a turn of events, he was arrested by the SAPS Grahamstown on charges of housebreaking and theft. This followed evidence that showed that the man was in possession of items that could be linked to the housebreaking in Lombo Street.
He has appeared in court, Coetzer confirmed.
Two other suspects were aged 27 and 36 were also arrested in connection with the case and have appeared in court.
Kaalgat
In a separate incident, a man suspected of stealing a car radio, CDs and wheel caps from a taxi, was hunted down and stripped naked by the taxi driver and his brother. The incident took place at Raglan Road at Fingo village.
Taxi driver, Bongani “Stunki” Gedze said they stripped him of his clothes to show residents that he was a thief.
“It worked because he told us where the wheel caps were and we went to his house and got them,” said Gedze.
Gedze stressed, that they never assaulted the suspect and also opened a case at the police station. Inspector Coetzer could not find records of the case. The suspect is still on the loose.
Coetzer said Grahamstown police were concerned about street law enforcement and warned that “vigilantism is viewed in a serious light and is illegal.”
Mob justice
Deputy Dean of Rhodes’ Law department, Advocate Les Roberts said mob justice normally takes place after an appalling crime, when emotions are running high and affected people demand immediate justice.
"Mob justice is never justified. Punishment carried out by a mob is unlawful, and constitutes other crimes such as assault or murder. It turns the mob into criminals themselves,” Roberts said.
He added that no person or group of persons has the right to take the law into their own hands by judging and/or acting as executioners.
Mob justice can also hamper court proceedings.
Fort Hare criminology lecturer, Earl Taylor, said "from a legal standpoint all participants in mob justice, regardless of who struck the fatal blows, can be charged with murder under the doctrine of the furtherance of a common purpose to commit the act, and should be prosecuted.
If not checked and corrected by the rule of law, mob justice and vigilantism can lead to a breakdown of the justice system, the police and the courts”, added Taylor.
