Seven suspected criminals were arrested, tied up and burned alive by a mob in Diepsloot, one of the most violent neighborhoods in South Africa, confirmed police, who condemned the acts, AFP reported this Sunday.
According to the news agency, citing police sources and residents in that area, preliminary investigations show that the victims were attacked and burned by the crowd.
“They were chased, grabbed and tied up before being killed. Yes, it was a necklace,” one resident described, referring to the “chain torture,” in which a tire (or rope) is placed around the victim’s neck, soaked in gasoline and then set on fire.
The AFP added that police, through a spokesperson, said they “strongly condemn acts of self-defence and taking the law into one’s own hands as these are serious criminal offences”.
Authorities in the municipality of Diepsloot, north of the capital Johannesburg, with a population of more than 350,000 and one with a high number of murders and rapes, say the city has been abandoned by authorities.
The country, which has one of the highest crime rates in the world, has a population of around 60 million and recorded an average of 68 murders per day in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of almost 20% compared to the same region. period 2019.
Source: DN
