Mob kills a man in Mahalapye

Bonte Seepi | Wednesday September 13, 2017 16:28

Mahalapye police station commander, Superintendent Isaac Mamadi said the police had been informed that after being beaten, the man was taken to Mahalapye hospital and later transferred to Nyangabgwe referral hospital where he passed away.

“The matter was not reported to the police until over the weekend after the victim died. The police learnt that the deceased was having drinks at a shebeen at around midnight on the 2nd September where one of the drinking mates lost his mobile phone.

“The deceased was suspected to have stolen it hence beaten severely by the people who were also drinking there without even calling the police,” Mamadi said.

He said a passerby who witnessed the incident later took the man to the hospital.  Mamadi said they have arrested two men aged between 27 and 33 and a woman aged 42 in connection with the murder and they have already appeared before the magistrate court.

He decried the impatience that the residents of Mahalapye are continuing to show saying that taking the law in one’s own hands is a crime punishable by the law. He said investigations on the matter are still ongoing as they are yet to arrest other people in connection with the murder. He also said that they are still investigating if at all the owner of the yard is a shebeen queen as it is also a crime to sell alcoholic beverages at home without a trading licence.

“So far, the owner of the yard is still denying selling alcohol but we are suspicious that she is not telling the truth as she is well known as a shebeen queen around the place, but we are yet to establish that,” he said.

Mamadi said that this is not the first time a person got beaten over suspicions of theft, saying they recently had another case at Xhosa ward where fortunately the victim survived the beatings.

He has appealed to people to leave the police to do their job and bring the village to order.

In another matter a 30-years-old man was also killed in Letlhakane on September 10, around 10pm after a drinking spree.

Confirming the incident, Letlhakane police station commander, Superintendent Michael Maphephu said the deceased and four of his friends were on their way home from a drinking spot when a misunderstanding erupted.

“The alleged murderer (34) borrowed a phone from the deceased claiming that he wanted to search for his lost money using the torch of the phone. It is alleged that the suspect afterwards refused to hand over the phone, hence fighting the deceased who fortunately managed to take the phone,” said Maphephu.

He further said that the suspect then followed the deceased to his home where he stabbed him with a sharp object, killing him instantly.