Pretoria - A Limpopo man has been killed allegedly by members of the community after he was suspected of stealing alcohol from a local bottle store at Nkomo Village in Giyani on Tuesday morning, police said.
According to police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo the 32-year-old victim, identified as Jabu Shilubane, was reportedly accused by the local community of stealing liquor from the bottle store in the area on Monday night.
He confirmed that a case of murder had been opened.
Mojapelo said: “The victim was apparently spotted by community members who blocked the road, pulled him out of his vehicle and drove it to a nearby sports ground.
“They then allegedly started assaulting him and later burned him to death. They thereafter allegedly looted the liquor and also torched the deceased’s motor vehicle.”
The owner of the liquor outlet later said he has opened a case of business burglary with the Giyani police station.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has condemned this incident of mob justice and has warned communities to desist from taking the law into their own hands.
The incident comes after at least 45 people have been killed around South Africa following public violence of rampant looting after the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma last week.
The violence started in Kwazulu- Natal where more than 30 trucks were torched. The sporadic violence the spread to Gauteng and other provinces.
In Limpopo, one truck and a bus were torched in Dennilton.
Pretoria News