Shebeen owner in gruesome necklacing
AN ANGOLAN shebeen owner died after being “necklaced” by Philippi residents during the early hours of yesterday morning, bringing the unofficial reported tally of such incidents in Cape Town townships to 13 over the last year.
The man, who so far has only been identified as “Joseph” was beaten before having a tyre filled with paraffin placed around his neck and set alight by residents of Siyahlala informal settlement.
It is alleged that he was caught trying to burn a resident’s shack down.
Due to Joseph’s body having been left in the street from 2am until police arrived at about 6am, his corpse was partly eaten by dogs.
In October, Joseph’s two-roomed shebeen in Siyahlala was destroyed by a group of local residents following a fight that broke out between locals and Angolans over money stolen from the pool table.
Joseph was also beaten and chased out of the informal settlement.
However, residents said a woman spotted him pouring paraffin on the walls of what was a rival shebeen on Monday night.
Following her alert, a meeting was rapidly called and it was decided a group of about 20 residents – mostly men – should fetch him from his new residence at Samora Machel’s Siqalo informal settlement a few kilometres away.
A minibus taxi belonging to one of the residents was used to fetch Joseph, returning with him about 2am.
According to residents West Cape News interviewed, Joseph “confessed” that he wanted to take revenge for the destruction of his shebeen in October when a group of about 200 residents tore it down, breaking his furniture and stealing liquor stock.
Yesterday residents then beat him with stones and sticks before putting a tyre around his neck and setting it alight.
Residents said his cries for forgiveness could be heard from blocks away.
As soon as Joseph “confessed” residents started assaulting him with whatever they could lay their hands on.
A tyre was placed around his neck and set alight, said a resident who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being summoned to court as a witness.
“He got what he deserved,” she said.
She said residents were angry because “many shacks would have been burnt if Joseph’s plan had gone (through) successfully”.
Although the owner of the house that Joseph is alleged to have tried to douse with petrol pleaded with the residents not to set him alight, the pleas felt on deaf ears.
“He cried like a baby when the tyre was set alight, people wanted to make sure he is dead,” said another resident, adding that “when he was assaulted the last time and spent almost two weeks in hospital he should have stayed away”.
Police had not responded to queries by the time of going to press. – West Cape News