Mob beats man to death in Diepsloot

Yet another man has been killed by a mob in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, after he was accused of shooting randomly in the air.

The incident comes just a day after Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda met with the community to discuss their problems, including crime and development in the area.

Station commander Brig Koena Moichela confirmed the incident to Sowetan.

“There has been a killing by the mob. There is an investigation into the matter as we don't know why the community killed him,” Moichela said.

Community leader Loyiso Toyiya said he got a call from a resident, informing him about the killing.

“When I got to the scene, I was told that the man in question was one of two who were going around firing shots in the air. I was told that they had been warned but had been continuing with the shooting.

“The community cornered them and started beating them up. One of them got away but the other one was not so lucky. He died at the scene,” said Toyiya.

A resident who did not want to be named said the community was tired of crime.

On Friday, residents marched against high levels of crime in the area. They have given police until Friday to respond to their demands.

Increasing crime levels have also impacted businesses, forcing some to shut down or close early due to fears of being attacked.

According to police crime statistics, 39 people have been killed between January and June. That is an average of one person a week.

There have been 66 cases of rape over the period under review, with 29 of these cases recorded between April and June. This puts Diepsloot in the 13th spot on this crime in Gauteng and 47th in SA.

Diepsloot ranks number one both in Gauteng and SA for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, with a total of 208 cases recorded in the first six months of the year.

mashalek@sowetan.co.za