MOB BURNS MURDER SUSPECT’S POSSESSIONS

LUDZELUDZE – An incarcerated murder suspect, who is accused of killing his love rival, learnt with shock that his valuables had been reduced to ashes by a mob that was baying for his blood.

The incident took place at Ludzeludze on Monday at around 4pm. This was 14 hours after Mpumelelo Hlophe (36) of the same area, was stabbed to death in the fields of his parental home. The suspect’s belongings were in his rented flat. In fact, two suspects were arrested in connection to Hlophe’s death; the love rival and his friend.

According to a source close to the matter, Hlophe was killed at around 2am on Monday and towards 6am, a mob of about 20 people, who were allegedly armed with spears, bush knives, knobkerries and sticks, among other weapons, crammed the home where the deceased’s love rival was renting a one-room flat.

Flat

“When they arrived here (at the homestead), they demanded to see the suspect, while those who knew his rented flat went straight to it and found a male pupil preparing to go to school. They turned everything upside down searching for the suspect,” the source said.  In the meantime, he said the other members of the mob were searching for the suspect around the homestead and threatened to deal with anyone who would bother them. He alleged that they even threatened to spear the dogs which barked at them.

Later on, after being satisfied that the man they were looking for was not there, the source said they left, but left messages that they would return for him. Indeed, he said about an hour later they returned but again did not find him. He said at that time, there were elders of the community, who were neighbours to the home. They tried in vain to calm down the mob and later left.

This publication gathered that at around 10am, the suspect was arrested together with his friend at Mahhala Police Post. This was after they were involved in a car accident while being chased at high speed by some friends of the deceased, who were travelling in a VW Golf sedan. In fact, after the accident, the two suspects jumped out of the car and bolted straight to the police post, where they were arrested and transferred to Matsapha Police Station until further investigations were done.

Avenge

The source said after learning about the developments, a faction of the mob decided to avenge the death of their friend by torching the suspect’s items. He said a group of armed men came to the suspect’s rented flat at around 4pm, knowing very well that he was behind bars and set his items alight. “However, members of family where the rented flat is situated, warned them not to dare touch the house because it does not belong to the suspect,” the source said.

Thereafter, he said the mob took out all the furniture which was inside the house; including a bed, tables and refrigerator, together with clothes and blankets, and put it together by the fields of the home. Thereafter, they set the items alight and watched them being reduced to ashes. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said there was a case of household items which were burnt that was reported to the police. However, she said the value of the damaged property was unknown. It is worth noting that the murder suspects are yet to appear in court.

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