Crowd beats 10-year-old boy’s ‘killer’ to death

A 40-year-old man was beaten to death yesterday by members of a rural northern KwaZulu-Natal community who claimed he had murdered a 10-year-old boy.

Eshowe police spokesperson Captain Tienkie van Vuuren said police were called yesterday morning to intervene after a large group of people had surrounded a bakkie in KwaKhoza.

Residents were claiming the man was responsible for the murder of 10-year-old Alwande Mkhize on Sunday. “They were threatening to torch the vehicle if he did not get out,” said Van Vuuren.

“Two of our policemen attempted to negotiate with the crowd but to no avail. They were forced to fire two rounds from an R-5 rifle to disperse them, but by then it was too late. The man sustained serious head injuries as a result of being beaten with sticks, knobkieries and other objects.”

Only after more police officers arrived at the scene did the crowd fully disperse.

The boy’s mother found his lifeless body not far from their home shortly after she returned from church. His throat had been slit and he had two stab wounds to his stomach.

Van Vuuren said Mkhize’s twoyear-old brother apparently explained that while they were playing outside their home on Sunday morning, they were approached by a man who asked for water.

The jug in which Alwande had fetched water for the suspect was found next to his body.

Van Vuuren said no arrests had been made and that two murder cases were being investigated. – ANA