Cape Town - Residents of Kanana informal settlement in Gugulethu were tight-lipped about a mob justice incident in which a suspected thief was beaten to death in their neighbourhood on Sunday morning.
The body of 26-year-old Palpan July was discovered on a dirt road. Although many residents refused to talk, the Cape Times was told the man and his friends had allegedly broken into a parked car. They said July had been caught and beaten, but it was unclear who was responsible for his death.
Police spokesman Frederick van Wyk could not confirm whether or not it was a mob attack, but said “circumstances surrounding” the incident were being investigated as part of a murder case. No one had been arrested.
July was the third person to die in a mob killing in Kanana in a month. The first incident was on October 18, when two men were found dead near a canal after being severely beaten. They had been accused of breaking into a house in neighbouring Barcelona informal settlement. In the last year there have been at least five such reported incidents.
A resident, who did not want to be named fearing action from neighbours for speaking out, said July had been killed because residents were fed up with crime.
She said the previous weekend residents had discovered the body of an old man who they believe was robbed and killed. This was one of many instances of crime in the area.
The woman said July and his friends had been caught breaking into a car and beaten. Residents could not provide details of how the man was beaten or what object was used.
A resident who lives close to where July’s body was discovered said he did not hear anything. A man who was at the scene and identified himself as July’s brother, said the family was still seeking clarity on what happened. The man refused to provide his name.
“You will hear stories from everyone saying that he was a criminal. That’s probably true, but no one deserves to die. We don’t know exactly what happened, but we were told he was beaten… because he and his friends were breaking into a car and he was caught.”
When a Cape Times team got there, scores of residents were looking at July’s body, covered in an orange blanket. Curious children as young as five came out of their homes but were chased away.
The man’s shoe lay beside him.
Cape Times