Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma has welcomed the arrest of six men aged between 19 and 30 for charges relating to mob justice which occurred on Saturday, 18 April 2020, at Pienaar outside of Nelspruit, where 28-year-old Mthobisi Dlamini was fatally assaulted.
According to information received, on that fateful day, the suspects approached Dlamini, accusing him of stealing diesel at a certain house in Pienaar from a stationery truck which was parked in the yard. They then proceeded to assault and torture him despite him pleading for his innocence. Moments later he succumbed to his injuries and the suspects removed and dumped his body at a veld in Tekwane North.
The Provincial Commissioner has strongly condemned the actions of the suspects and urged community members to desist from taking the law into their own hands. “Mob justice will never be a solution to fighting crime. People should learn to let the law take its course as the community has a responsibility to report any criminal activities to the police. No one is above the law and we encourage communities to join structures such as the Community Police Forums (CPF’s) and work with their local Traditional Leadership with a clear purpose of addressing crime within their communities,” said General Zuma.