Two men slain, one critical in vigilante attacks

TWO men were necklaced and torched and a third was stabbed to death in separate mob justice attacks when they were cornered in the Veeplaas area at the weekend.

The vigilante attacks left two of the men dead and the third fighting for his life in hospital.

Two of the victims were well known to police for being in and out of jail.

Siphesihle “Tsoli” Kala, 20, and his brother, Anele, 23 – both of whom used several aliases – were killed only hours apart by angry residents who believed they were responsible for a spate of robberies and burglaries in the area.

Siphesihle was standing trial for rape and facing a case of burglary – for which he was out on bail – while Anele had no pending cases.

The attacks all took place within 5km of each other in the Veeplaas area between Friday and Sunday afternoon.

Siphesihle was killed at about 1pm on Sunday, when he was caught and beaten by about 100 angry Veeplaas residents.

Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said it was believed that when the residents caught Siphesihle, accusing him of breaking into a house, he took them to the place where he had sold a stolen TV set.

“The residents claimed back the stolen television and, in anger, pelted [Siphesihle] with stones, before [placing tyres around his body and] setting him alight,” Beetge said.

When officials arrived on the scene, Siphesihle was already dead.

At 3.30pm, the residents spotted Anele walking in a nearby street.

“A foot chase ensued and he [Anele] ran into a side street, where he was cornered. He was stabbed several times and left for dead.

“When police arrived, the residents had already dispersed and [Anele’s body] was floating in a nearby salt pan.

“It is suspected that he attempted to flee by running into the salt pan area where he was killed.”

Beetge said the residents believed the brothers were carrying out robberies and burglaries together in the area.

Asked about claims that the brothers’ relatives had provided false names for them, Beetge confirmed the names initially given to them had been incorrect.

“The initial names provided showed no criminal records or pending cases,” he said.

“However, on further investigation,

No one wants to tell us what happened and who is responsible

we discovered their true identities and their records.

“At this stage, under Anele’s real name, there are no cases.

“However, detectives are still gathering aliases to check them against the criminal records system.”

In an unrelated mob justice attack at 4pm on Friday in the same area, Phakamile Kwesaba, 33, who also uses a string of aliases, was admitted to hospital with third-degree burns to his body.

Kwesaba, who had previously been convicted of burglary in East London, has had nine criminal cases against him withdrawn over the past 10 years.

“I can confirm that he is currently wanted in connection with a house robbery in Port Elizabeth,” Beetge said.

“At this stage, the motive for his attack is unclear, but we can confirm he also had several tyres around his body and had been set alight.”

Kwesaba was in a critical condition in Dora Nginza Hospital yesterday.

Beetge said details were scarce in all the attacks, with no witnesses coming forward. “No one wants to tell us what happened and who is responsible.”

Cluster commander MajorGeneral Dawie Rabie warned that those involved in vigilante attacks would be prosecuted.

He said police station officials had been ordered to hold a meeting with community leaders and residents to discourage people from taking the law into their own hands.

“Where communities identify criminals, they must give information to the police so those criminals can be arrested,” he said.