Police have condemned acts of vigilantism after Eersteriver residents killed a man suspected of raping a three year old girl.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has issued a stern warning against mob justice after Eerste River residents killed a 42-year-old man accused of kidnapping and raping a three-year-old girl.
Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said police condemned any form of vigilantism. He said acts of mob justice were not only illegal but posed a "direct threat to the safety and stability of our communities."
"No individual or group has the authority to take the law into their own hands, regardless of the circumstances," Van Wyk said, noting that such actions "undermine the justice system and fuel further violence."
Veranique "Benji" Williams, founder of the Faith and Hope Missing Persons Unit, said the community's actions, while unlawful, reflect years of accumulated frustration. “I am definitely not condoning what happened to the man, but it is understandable given how often communities have watched perpetrators walk free after similar attacks.”
