Mob kills man (55) over stock theft
SITEKI – Yet another mob killing has been recorded in the country.
This brings the number of mob attack victims to eight in the past two months. The recent attack happened on Monday morning, when a 55-year-old man of Mphaphati community, under Siphofaneni Inkhundla, was attacked and killed allegedly by a group of 15 community members. The deceased had been implicating in stock theft.
According to a community member who asked that his identity be concealed for security reasons, the members of community attacked Bukhosi Dlamini, after being informed that he was linked to a number of stolen cattle and goats that constantly disappeared in the community.
The source claimed that the deceased had been in the past linked to a number of stock theft incidents of goats and cattle in the community.
He said the community members bayed for his blood after one of the residents saw him herding cattle from the grazing land adjacent to the main road, in the evening hours of Sunday.
The source further mentioned that for the past three years, community police and residents had warned people to refrain from the stock theft. The deceased succumbed to his injuries after being heavily assaulted with sticks all over the body.
Adding, the source stated that one resident called the Siphofaneni police after seeing that Bukhosi was unconscious from the beatings.
He said the police arrived an hour later and found that the deceased had already succumbed to the injuries he had sustained from the beating.
The source said the police took the lifeless body of the deceased to the Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital mortuary.
Theft
“Mphaphati community members were angered when they discovered that Bukhosi was( allegedly) involved in stock theft and they invaded his home, where he was staying alone, in the early hours of yesterday (Monday). One boy spotted him herding cattle on Sunday evening and alerted members of the community,” said the source.
Moreover, the source mentioned that the deceased hailed from Mphumakudze area, under KaPhunga community and was also a resident at Mphaphati.
“It is difficult to locate his next-of-kin as he was residing alone at his home. When we tried to enquire about his relatives, that information was scanty,” added the source.
Attempts were made to get family members but were unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
Police
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter.
“We have a report of a 55-year-old man of Mphaphati who was killed by a mob. Police are still investigating the circumstances leading to this incident,” she said.
Worth mentioning is that eight people were arrested in connection with the mob justice that took place at Nkonka in Matsanjeni a week ago, where four men were killed and then set alight.
Another recent incident of a mob attack saw a 25-year-old man of Sitsatsaweni area being heavily assaulted by a mob after he was allegedly found raping a 32-year-old woman, whom they were enjoying alcoholic beverages with on New Year’s Eve.
Also in January, at Luhlokohla area near Ngculwini, a man was killed by a mob in connection with stock theft.
Most of the other mob killings relate to issues of dagga wars.
In December last year, police officers from Lubulini Police Station made a breakthrough after successfully arresting a man who was driving a Honda Fit vehicle loaded with 20 goats, suspected to have been stolen around Siteki.
Meanwhile, in November last year, Siteki Principal Magistrate Dumsani Magagula acquitted 19 of 25 residents of two communities under the Siphofaneni Inkhundla on the basis that they obeyed a restraining order granted against the late Mabhensane Primary School Head teacher, Sayinile Irene Sikhondze.
The late head teacher was gunned down by an unknown person, while at her home, situated at Nceka area under Siphofaneni Inkhundla.
This court order was issued against the backdrop of the mob attack by about 200 residents at the late head teacher’s home implicating her in stock theft.