Eastern Cape police have condemned the violent attack by community members who killed a suspected rapist.
This comes after an incident on Thursday night when the man allegedly visited the home of a 63-year-old woman in the Tshatshatsha settlement in Engcobo. He allegedly assaulted her and tried to rape her, but she was able to shake him off and he fled.
“The older woman sounded alarmed and the community responded quickly and chased the suspect,” says Police spokesman Tembinkosi Kinana.
When they tracked down the 24-year-old, they assaulted him and executed him in the necklace manner. He died on the scene.
A murder case is being investigated, as well as one of attempted rape of the woman.
No one has been arrested yet.
Liziwe Ntshinga, Eastern Cape Police Commissioner, condemned the attack. “People need to learn to respect the law. Yes, we understand the anger is being fueled by criminality in our communities, but taking the law into our own hands cannot be an acceptable solution. ”
