According to IOL, the south African police service has welcomed the sentencing of six men to life imprisonment for the brutal mob justice killings of two men in Limpopo’s mopani district.
The accused are identified as men between the age of 30-46 and were sentenced by the Polokwane high court on two counts of kidnapping.
According to the report, each accused received two life imprisonment sentences for murder and an additional five-year imprisonment for kidnapping. The court declared the accused as unfit to possess firearms.
According to the police, the convictions stem from a horrific incident that took place on the 23 August 2023 in ga Maake policing area. Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the victims, aged 34 and 49, were abducted from their homes after being accused of theft.
“The accused were arrested following a brutal incident that occurred on 23 August 2023, when the victims were forcibly taken from their homes after being accused of theft,” said Ledwaba.
He further revealed that the victims were assaulted at the all-star sports ground before they were taken to mokgoloboto mountain, where the attack escalated into a gruesome killing.
Police said prosecutors opposed bail during the trial, ensuring the accused remained behind bars until the matter was finalized. The Limpopo provincial commissioner lieutenant general Thembi Hadebe welcomed the sentence and condemned acts of mob justice.
“This sentence sends a clear message that mob justice and acts of brutality will not be tolerated.
We urge communities to report crime to the police rather than take the law into their own hands,” said Hadebe.
Sub-Editor : Lemekwana Phenyo
