NHLANGANO – A 40-year-old man, out on bail for a separate offence, was beaten to death by a community mob Sunday afternoon.
The assault ensued after he was reportedly caught in the act of sexually violating an eight-year-old girl.
Mazwi Vilakati, from Mahlabatsini, a community within the Gege Constituency, met his death on Sunday afternoon after he was caught sexually violating the minor in a forest at Dinga.
The minor had been sent to a shop at around 2pm, at the community (Dinga), which is also located under Gege Constituency and is approximately eight kilometres from Mahlabatsini, where the deceased originated from.
According to a source, the deceased, was currently out on bail for a crime of stock theft. He had been arrested on May 26, 2025, for stealing goats in the area and remained in prison for two weeks before securing his freedom through paying bail.
Furthermore, the source alleged that the suspect had been out of prison for two years, having previously served around eight years for rape.
The source claimed that the deceased, was accused of raping a mentally challenged female and was also accused of sexually violating an elderly person from Ngodvwane.
He was also accused of attempting to abduct a three-year-old minor some years back during a ceremony; he was caught running with the child and was arrested for that crime.
The source stated that he was known to be a chaotic person in the community, frequently in and out of prison, described as “umuntfu lokhulele ejele” (a person who spent most of his time in prison).
Furthermore, the source alleged that even the deceased’s brother was also killed by a mob after being accused of several thefts.
According to a source, Vilakati was caught by two family members of the minor, who were passing by the forest and found him committing the illicit act. The source claimed they called a community police officer, who responded to the scene and found Mazwi already having put his trousers back on.
The source claimed an alarm was raised and the community responded in numbers. He was chased and eventually caught on a mountain, just after crossing Ndlotane River. He was reportedly brought back to the Dinga and questioned about his actions, which he reportedly denied and he was beaten. The source alleged he was undressed and beaten with sticks all over his body.
The source claimed that when he was beaten, he confessed that after raping the minor, he was heading to rob a business in the area.
The source claimed his body was full of old scars and stated that some people would assault him when they found him stealing. The source stressed a recent incident, whereby he stole maize at a farm and the security guards assaulted him.
The source further claimed police were eventually called while the deceased was still breathing and responded to the scene around 7:45pm. However, in an attempt to take him, the community ordered that his case not be prioritised, but instead that the minor be prioritised and taken to the hospital.
The minor was rushed to hospital; however, some police officers did not transport the deceased, but guarded him while he was lying down, heavily beaten and breathing heavily, covered with a blanket.
Full story in today’s paper.
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