Mpumalanga’s MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Vusi Shongwe, strongly condemned these latest incidences of mob justice during which seven people were killed. These crimes occurred in Mjejane near Komatipoort, Marite in Bushbuckridge, as well as Lydenburg, this week.
While Shongwe said that the work of community patrol teams is greatly appreciated, it should not lead to them taking the law into their own hands.
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“We appreciate the efforts of communities in assisting the police to fight and prevent crime. However, communities must only report crimes and act as informants as they are not trained to apprehend crime suspects. Taking the law into their own hands is a criminal offence in itself and those who engage in mob justice are liable for prosecution,” he warned. At the same time, he urged
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communities to continue working with the police by providing information which could lead to arrests of crime suspects.
“We also have the Community Policing Forum (CPF) structures. Therefore, people must work with the police through these structures in order to prevent crime. All community forums participating in crime prevention must do so within the ambit of the law,” concluded Shongwe.
