GRAAFF-REINET NEWS — Last Thursday, June 22, a man in his 30s was attacked by members of the Umasizakhe community in what appears to be a case of mob justice.
The man, who is a suspect in at least three cases of housebreaking and theft, was in the process of committing another house robbery, armed with an axe.
The police were alerted by a member of the community, and the suspect was running away from the police when he was caught by members of the Umasizakhe street committees. They attacked him and beat him, leaving him with head injuries. The housebreaking suspect was admitted to hospital and released the next day. He did not wish to open a case against his attackers.
Since then, another instance of members of the community acting against criminals has emerged, also in Umasizakhe. A man who was suspected of stealing a television set was assaulted, and the door of his house was damaged.
Vispol Commander Colonel Beulah Siyaya is very concerned about this, and urges residents not to take the law into their own hands.
She urged members of the public to report any instances of this to the police immediately, and asked that if people are not satisfied with the progress of an investigation, they should contact either the head of the detective unit or Col Siyaya herself.
Another matter of concern for the Graaff-Reinet police is that people are stealing wooden poles from the Camdeboo National Park and using it for fencing at the township houses.
Col Siyaya has asked that anyone with information about this should contact the Graaff-Reinet police either through the 10111 number, or on 049 807 1100.
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