On Monday, 31 May, Parkwood community members took ‘justice’ into their own hands by brutally murdering someone they believed to be a suspect attempting to abduct a child of the community.
Pictures and videos of the mob action quickly went viral on social media, and a car was set alight off the M5 on Hyde Road, where the body of the deceased was seen stripped partially naked and severely burnt.
However, after the news of the action surfaced, people were quick to point out that the penalty the suspect faced was not based on evidence, but possibly rather a cry-wolf situation.
Recently, word has arisen that Grassy Park police confirmed who the suspect was and that he may not have been connected to any kidnapping, making the mob justice an impulsive case with dire implications on a potentially innocent man.
The police say the victim was an Uber driver, identified as Abongile Mafalala who drove a Toyota Avanza. Unconfirmed information suspects that he was robbed by two gangsters and upon Mafalala’s resistance, they claimed Mafalala was attempting kidnapping, as IOL reports.
According to the Grassy Park Community Policing Forum’s Nicole Jacobus, nobody can confirm that there was a kidnapping, or an actual attempt, as per HeartFM.
Now, people on social media are sharing their opinions on the community’s reaction. Some say that given all the kidnappings on-going recently in Cape Town, it’s understandable why the community dealt with the matter themselves – although the handling was of the most severe extent. Some claims from people suggest that a specific Avanza in the area had been noted for watching kids, which led to members of the community’s decision. Many are saying that people need to be aware of fake news, whether it is by word of mouth or social media as an innocent person’s life could be ruined or ended.
Investigations are still underway.
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc Gallery