Cape Town - The family of murdered Bolt driver have not yet come to terms with the senseless killing of Abongile Mafalala, 30 on Tuesday.
The driver was a victim of a mob attack in Parkwood after he was falsely accused of being a kidnapper.
“He was killed like a dog,” said the deceased's girlfriend Zandile Maweza. “On top of it, he died in a coloured community where there was no one who could listen to him because he was black. Why did they not call the police after catching him?”
According to Grassy Park Station Commander Colonel Dawood Laing, Mafalala was robbed by two men and when they were seen, they falsely claimed that he was a kidnapper.
“The driver had just dropped off his passengers and was waiting for his next trip when he was robbed by two suspects. When people noticed this, they shouted that he was trying to kidnap kids,“ said Laing.
Before the incident, there were already alleged attempted abductions in the area last week and false reports of kidnapping on social media. When Mafala was falsely accused, they quickly turned on him, beating him up before setting him alight.
Disturbing videos of the gruesome mob attack quickly spread across social media and for hours the community believed their judgment was the correct one until the police dismissed the claims that Mafalala was a kidnapper.
It was revealed that Mafalala was stabbed, beaten and bitten by a dog before being set alight.
To date, 14 people have since been arrested and will appear at Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of murder, robbery and defeating the ends of justice.
“His sisters cannot even speak about what they are feeling right now because of how painful this is,” cried Maweza.
She said that someone saw Mafalala’s CV after he was set alight, called one of the references who happened to be around where he lived and notified the family.
They rushed to the scene where they saw his remains.
“It was difficult to believe it, we dialled his number and it went to voicemail. I do not think we will ever heal from this. We want justice for him but the people who did this must know that they have opened a wound that will never heal.”
She said she would miss her partner. “He showed me love. He was a sweet person, enjoyed working hard and would never hurt a fly. They have taken the love of my life.”
Since the start of Child Protection Week, police said there has been a rise in fake news spread on social media about child kidnappings and abductions.
Bianca van Aswegen from Missing Children South Africa said it was important that cases are confirmed with SAPS before going out on social media and also urged families not to put out their own flyers with personal contact details as this may lead to extortion cases.
“We have seen an increase in extortion cases due to this. Rather work through an organisation such us ourselves Missing Children South Africa where the proper protocol is followed, the necessary emergency numbers are added to the flyer and trained professionals are at hand that will handle any information received and relayed to the necessary authorities.”
“We do understand that it is very frustrating for the public and taking the law into their own hands is not the right thing to do. Please report any matters immediately to SAPS or our organisation to proper protocol is followed. People taking the law into their own hand will get themselves arrested and causes more unnecessary implications for their families.”
She reminded the public to not wait when a child or a person goes missing before opening a case, there is no waiting period in reporting a person as missing. “The quicker the case gets reported the quicker action can be taken.”
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said they have noted with concern various social media posts in relation to perceived kidnappings/abductions in the Cape Town Metropole and a few outlying areas.
“It is on this basis, as a law enforcement agency, that we wish to caution social media users against the posting of unverified information about kidnappings/abductions. Since the launch of the National Child Protection Week, the SAPS has observed false accounts of child kidnappings/abductions.”
“The offence of kidnapping is viewed in a serious light by the SAPS, hence all reported cases are assigned to seasoned detectives. Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation of these cases, it is often necessary for us to be discreet in communicating the progress of these cases.”