Police appeared to be losing the battle to regain control of marauding mobs in Kagiso, on the West Rand, as violence escalated with acts of vigilantism after a week of heightened law enforcement crackdowns on illegal mining activities.

As anger grew over the horrific gang-rape of young women while filming a music video in the Krugersdorp area allegedly by zama-zamas, as the illegal miners are known, communities took matters into their hands, rounding up groups of men found in mine dumps, stripping them naked before unleashing mob justice with sjamboks...