A man accused of burglary is in hospital after a crowd beat him unconscious outside a city centre home this week.
A man accused of burglary is in hospital after a crowd beat him unconscious outside a city centre home this week.
But while the tenant who raised the alarm believes the crowd who came to her aid saved her life, the police have expressed concern at what they consider excessive violence.
In the second incidence of mob justice in two weeks, a 27-year-old man was severely beaten at a student digs in Prince Street, off Bathurst Street, on Monday 3 November.
Confirming that a burglary docket had been opened, Grahamstown Crime Intelligence Officer Milanda Coetzer said the man sustained injuries after a confrontation with angry community members.
In an interview with Grocott's Mail Thursday 6 November, the woman, whose name has been withheld to protect her identity, said the incident occurred around 1pm on Monday.
"I mopped the floor and left a window opened so that the floor could dry quickly while I went to the shops to buy groceries," the woman said. She said she had noticed the suspect earlier in the student digs on the property her cottage is located on, but she assumed he was visiting a friend.
"I came back from the shops assisted by a trolley guy, when I unlocked the door I noticed my boyfriend's clothes were all over the floor with the door not opening up to its normal angle."
When she looked behind the door, she saw a man hiding there, holding a steel rod in his hand.
"I screamed out loud and the trolley guy rushed in," the woman said.
"He confronted the suspect and more people rushed in, dragged him to the street and started beating him up with his own steel [rod]." the woman said she was grateful people had come to her aid.
"The man was armed with a steel [pipe]and was going to kill me if I was alone," she said. We don't feel safe," she said.
"This area has become a target for criminals."
She said the man suffered broken bones and was left unconscious. The house is mostly used by university students, along with a few working people. Coetzer commended the community for coming to the woman's aid, but warned against mob justice.
"The support given by the community to the 26-year-old victim is commendable," Coetzer said, "but the SAPS is concerned as to the extent of violence used against the intruder."
According to Coetzer, the suspect sustained injuries after the confrontation with the angry community and had since been transferred to hospital in Port Elizabeth.
"As soon as he is released the suspect will be arrested as he is known to the SAPS".
"The SAPS remains grateful for the fact that the community is supporting them in their ongoing fight against crime. However, care must be taken to prevent possible instances of mob justice", said Coetzer in an emailed statement to Grocott's Mail this week.
Two weeks ago, three suspects jumped and robbed a man, who was going to the bank to deposit his takings from his taxi business, at the corner of Bathurst and Beaufort streets, Coetzer said.
The community later tracked down one of them and beat him so badly that his leg was broken.
