Anti-crime group denies beating
SAPS are investigating an attempted murder after a man accused members of a community crime watch group of beating him.
|||Northern Cape - Concerns have been raised about members of the public taking the law into their own hands and then claiming affiliation with well-known community crime prevention organisations.
This comes as police are investigating a case of attempted murder after a Stock and Stock man accused members of a prominent community crime prevention organisation of severely beating him.
Elias Matsoele said on Thursday that he had been beaten with hammers and sjamboks, shocked with a tazer and strangled with a piece of hosepipe for hours before eventually being thrown from a moving car by his attackers, who he claimed were members of Wanya Tsotsi, on Tuesday evening.
The group on Thursday condemned the incident and Wanya Tsotsi spokesman Tebogo Obusitse denied that his organisation was involved, adding that police had apparently arrested one suspect, a relative of Matsoele, whom he said was in no way linked to Wanya Tsotsi.
Matsoele said that he was watching a football match at home in Moshekantane Street on Tuesday evening when he noticed a number of cars in the street.
“It was just after the Chiefs game so it was already late when they arrived,” he said.
He added that he recognised a number of his attackers’ faces.
Matsoele said that the group accused him of having broken into his sister’s house in Herlear early in January, before forcing him into a white Mercedes, claiming that they were taking him to the police station.
“I got into the backseat and men got in on either side of me.
“The windows were tinted so nobody could see when they started beating me.”
Matsoele said that his assailants continued to shock, hit and strangle him for hours until his face was bleeding profusely. The convoy of cars also made numerous stops in the course of the evening, including a “shift change” where he was instructed to get into a different vehicle.
“After a very long time, they decided to throw me out the car. I grabbed one of them as I fell out. Because we were driving in convoy, the car following us stopped inches from my attacker’s head.
“Eventually, one of my neighbours, who is a member of Wanya, told them to leave me alone.
“My girlfriend called an ambulance and I was taken to hospital where I was treated and discharged.”
Obusitse said that the group was aware of the incident and added that Matsoele’s assailants needed to be brought to book.
“We are aware of the situation and one arrest has been made,” he said.
Obusitse claimed that a Kimberley man had appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court in connection with the incident.
“He is related to Matsoele and was contacted by Matsoele’s sister, who lives in the UK but has a house in Herlear, to assist in the investigation into a break-in at her house, where there were no signs of forced entry.
“He is not a member of Wanya Tsotsi and we do not know who accompanied him.
“If any of the perpetrators were members they were definitely not acting in that capacity.
“Whoever was involved should be arrested, but so far none of our members have been taken into custody. We had nothing to do with this.”
This assault is the latest where residents have taken the law into their own hands, claiming membership of a crime prevention group.
Two weeks ago members of another anti-crime group were accused of being involved in the assault of a 16-year-old boy following a party in the park opposite the North Cape Mall.
The group denied this and said that the perpetrator in this incident had absolutely no link to them.
murray.swart@inl.co.za
DFA
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