Police respond to a video that shows a man being assaulted after being found with suspected stolen meat on Wednesday, October 16.
According to a provincial police spokesperson, Captain Donald Mdhluli, the police have learned with much concern and also took note of the video that is being circulated on social media platforms about an incident that apparently took place in Mayflower.
“In the said video, a man is shown surrounded by a group of individuals. The bakery appears to be fully loaded with various items, which include some snacks. As the man went on to remove the items, underneath meat was shown concealed, wrapped in black plastic bags. It is further heard from the background on the video that the man has been accused of theft of meat. The video further shows the said man being assaulted by a group of people,” he said.
He added that from watching this video, one could sense the possibility of defeating the ends of justice. Since then, no one has reported the matter to the police or brought someone to the police as a suspect in relation to the said video.
The police have already started following the matter with a hope to ensure that justice is served.
“So far, the police in Mayflower managed to locate the man in question, and the rest will follow suit. The public will be updated accordingly as time goes on.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, has since condemned the said incident, thereby encouraging community members to work collaboratively with the police.
“We have got legitimate structures to fight crime, such as the CPF as well as the Community in Blue. Members of the public can use these platforms to forge partnerships with law enforcement agencies. We totally discourage lawlessness and vigilantism as it breeds other crimes like assaults or even murders,” said the general.
