Incidents of mob justice continue unabated in many communities around Rustenburg in the North West. This is despite calls by the police to allow the law to take its course.
The latest incident is the torching of three houses by residents, who suspected occupants of the houses of being involved in illegal activities.
The occupants, who fled the scene are suspected of using the properties as brothels and for other illegal activities.
Crime is high and residents are often frustrated, because criminals evade capture.
One resident sharing their frustration: “Residents take the law into their hands, because they feel police are not doing their job.”
Another resident says: “We have a lot of cases reported, but police are not even following them up.”
This latest incident was triggered by the disappearance of a 14 year old girl. She was later found, safe and unharmed with her 20-year old boyfriend.
He has since been charged with statutory rape.
“We had a fear that the child might come back home killed, or a drug addict, because people who are doing this, most of the times those children they come home dead or they come home addicted to drugs,” says the girl’s father.
A call for communities not to take the law into their own hands appears to go unheeded.
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Captain Elsabe Augoustides of the North West police:
“We would like to appeal to the public to, please remember that we are the law enforces. If there are problems the police will address the problems. Do not take the law into your own hands. That only aggravates the situation. It is never a solution.”
The latest crime statistics show that, Rustenburg leads in criminal incidents of malicious damage to property, drug- related and sexual offences and murders.
