Pretoria - A Limpopo man was stoned to death after he allegedly raped and killed a 6-year-old girl in Petanenge village, outside Tzaneen, on Saturday.
According to provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the alleged perpetrator was stoned to death by the community.
He said: “The police received a report about the body of a child at Lusaka village, and that of a 28-year-old man from Petanenge village.
“On arrival they found the body of a child with brutal neck injuries, and the man appeared to have been stoned to death.”
Mojapelo said preliminary investigations revealed that the child had allegedly collected oranges from her grandmother’s home at about 8.30am, but did not return home.
“The family, assisted by community members, started searching for her and later, at about 2pm, they reportedly received information that the child was last seen with the suspect, who stays at Lusaka village.
“They then proceeded to the area and allegedly found him hiding in the house,” Mojapelo said.
The suspect allegedly confessed that he had raped the child and then killed her to conceal the evidence.
“He then led them to the place where he hid the body… (It) was found hidden under some shrubs.”
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe said: “The rape and brutal killing of a six-year-old child is shockingly devastating, and we therefore call on all our communities, especially parents and guardians, to always take extra measures to protect children.”
Hadebe warned people not to take the law into their own hands, but rather to actively assist the police in fighting crime.
The police opened cases of rape and murder against the suspect (deceased), and another case of murder that resulted from vigilantism. Vigilantism has been on the rise in the province, with 10 people killed and others critically injured in the past week alone.
Scores of alleged perpetrators have been put behind bars because of such incidents.
Early this month, nine members of the Community Police Forum at Tshivhilwi village were each sentenced to life imprisonment by the Thohoyandou High Court for killing a resident accused of stealing a cellphone.
Last week, 12 people, including three teenagers, were arrested after a 30-year-old man was murdered in a vigilante attack at Ga-Seleka outside Lephalale in Limpopo.
Pretoria News