Mob beats up three in EL suburb (pic)

Lawlessness and the total disregard for law and order has become a way of life in South Africa.

In the picture, one of the the suspected “victims” (orange shirt) is laying on the ground, while on the right, you can clearly see a man swinging what appears to be a baseball bat to beat up a second suspect.

Also, several other weapons can be seen being brandished by bystanders. Herewith the story that appeared in the paper: Three suspected criminals were severely beaten by a vigilante mob early Sunday morning in Southernwood, writes Asa Sokopo. Residents of the suburb were woken by the sounds of the mob attacking the suspected robbers.

A St George’s Road resident and her 10-year-old son said they were asleep when woken by the sounds of people screaming at about 7.30am. The woman, who asked not to be named, said she saw through her window a mob of about 30 chasing three men and “viciously” beating them. The woman said the trio was suspected of robbing someone in a side street.

“There were people coming from all over, even (people in) cars stopped to watch,” she said. When the Daily Dispatch visited the scene, the road and pavement were still splattered with the men’s blood while sticks and broken belt buckles used to beat them were lying on the road.

Even tree branches had been broken off by angry residents, who used them to assault the men. Other weapons used in the attack included golf clubs.

That mob is no better than the criminals themselves because they could have killed them,” the woman said. After phoning 10111 and being told that several police vehicles had already been dispatched, the woman took pictures of the incident. Moments later, she said about four police vehicles arrived while the men were still being assaulted.

“The police stood by chatting and did nothing to help the men (being beaten),” she said. The men “practically threw themselves” into the back of the police vans where they continued to be beaten.

“Someone even broke a window at the back of the van to get to the men,” she said. Young Women’s Christian Association residents’ manager Almarie Gouws described the crowd as being “out of control”.

“I must have called the police for more than half an hour before they responded,” she said. Gouws said she saw a man driving a green Mercedes-Benz join in the beatings. Police spokesperson Superintendent Mtati Tana said two of the beaten men were in hospital under police guard

The suspects had allegedly robbed someone near Turnbull Park and again in a side street near St George’s Road. He confirmed that while the suspects were in the back of the police van, a man broke a window trying to get to them. “He was also arrested and charged with malicious damage to property while the others were charged with robbery,” he said.

Letter from another eye witness.

schmeagle on 9 March, 2009 at 10:50 am CAT #

I don’t even know where to begin with this story. I stay in the block of the flat on the ground that was right behind where this attack was taking place, we heard and saw everything.


The first victim was bumped with a car to knock him over first before the first beating took place. We phoned the police who told us we must first phone the ambulance. At that stage we weren’t aware of what was going to take place and thought that someone had just been knocked over by a car.

The ambulance then told us that we must phone the police. In the time that we were phoning the ambulance the beating started. It started with only two people, the two who were in the car and then more people started arriving.

The victim was asked questions and if he gave the wrong answer was then kicked, punched and hit. The one attacker had a golf club.

My partner who speaks Xhosa understood what was been said, we could hear the conversation from our bedroom window. We phoned the police again, who informed us that a vehicle was on its way.

Eventually more cars arrived, one man had a yellow t-shirt, he seemed to be the leader. He went across the road to the tree and ripped off a very thick branch and proceeded to use it to beat the victim. More people arrived.

They managed to get information on the whereabouts of the other two victims. The man with the yellow shirt went off with some other people to find the other victims.

There was a guy, he picked up a rock and bashed the victim in the head. We phoned the police again and asked them please to come because this man was going to be beaten to death.

The other two victims were brought to the scene and they too were beaten. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger and as people were walking past and cars were driving past they were stopped and asked to join in the beating of these men. They all did.

We phoned the police once again to tell them what was happening and that there were now many people and we were told to go outside and get the age and names and injuries of the victims. My partner asked them if they were mad that we were by no means going to go out there.

In the mean time we managed to get hold of someone at the serious crimes and assult line which was a land line and told them what was going on.

Shortly after this 2 police vans and 2 flying squad cars arrived (this was at least an hour and a half after the first call was made).

I will never forget the one victim kept screaming that he didn’t know (in Xhosa) as they were beating him. They screaming and crying of agony will remain with me for a very long time.

I am just very grateful my children had gone away for the weekend and were not here to witness this barbaric behavior.