Staff Reporter.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng have arrested three people in connection to the Zandspruit mob justice attack, which left five people injured and four dead.
A fifth man has died in hospital.
While the suspects have been nabbed, the number of fatalities as result of the attack has increased after a fifth suspect died in hospital, Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele confirmed.
On Wednesday morning, ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene to find nine men bound in a field near a burnt-out tyre.
Community members began to gather after coming across the scene.
When paramedics assessed the victims, they found four of them had already died due to severe and numerous burn wounds.
The five survivors were all in critical condition with multiple burn wounds, prompting advanced life support interventions before they were taken to nearby provincial hospitals.
Meanwhile Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, has condemned a mob justice incident that claimed the lives of four people and injured five others at Plot 52 in the Zandspruit informal settlement.
Preliminary reports indicate that members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) attached to the Honeydew police station were alerted of the mob justice incident, which took place in the early hours of Wednesday.
Upon arrival at the scene, members found a group of more than 200 people gathering at an open space and started throwing stones at police.
“The police immediately called for backup. When re-enforcement arrived, police dispersed the group of people. The police found nine persons, aged between 20 and 30 years old, lying on the ground, badly assaulted and set alight by the angry mob,” the provincial department of community safety said.
Four people were confirmed dead by the team of paramedics, while the five who were critically injured were taken to the Chris Hani Baragwanath and Helen Joseph hospitals to receive medical attention.
The MEC said gruesome acts often leave communities traumatised and have long-term devastating effects.
“We urge the community to remain calm and exercise restraint as we await the full report from the police and look for solutions to their problems. While we understand that communities at times feel let down by law enforcement, we urge them to avoid taking the law into their own hands and being in conflict with the law,” Mazibuko said.