Khutsong – praag.org

6 people killed, burnt alive in Khutsong but no arrests

Scene from a previous burning during South African riots

No arrests have been made following the killing of six people in Khutsong near Carletonville, Gauteng police said on Wednesday.

“No arrest has been made. Investigations are continuing,” said Captain Jabulani Kundethe.

He said no violence was reported since Monday.

“The situation is calm, no incident has been reported.”

The six were killed after about 400 men, believed to be Khutsong residents, held a meeting to discuss gangsterism on Sunday.

The men separated into different groups.

One group attacked a 61-year-old traditional healer, and set him and his house alight. The man died on the scene.

Other groups from the meeting targeted two young men, allegedly members of a gang, who were assaulted and set alight. They also died at the scene.

Two other alleged gang members were stoned. One died on the scene and the other died in hospital.

The body of a sixth man was found on Sunday night. He had been set alight. – Sapa

Crime fighter’s son burnt alive

A father was patrolling one side of Khutsong on the West Rand when a mob attacked and killed his son in another section during a wave of killings, according to a report on Tuesday.

The Khutsong crime fighter’s son was accused of being a criminal and burnt alive with a friend at the weekend, said The Star.

Simon Khumalo and his other son Desmond had joined other patrollers who were going around the township looking for members of the Casanova gang said to be terrorising the community, the publication reported.

Khumalo’s son Akhona, 24, and a friend Mojalefa Maleho, 23, had fled the sight of an approaching mob singing and brandishing weapons.

They knocked on the door of Liziwe Mbaxa of Extension Three who had locked herself inside the house after seeing the mob. She did not open.

They hid in the house next door where the mob discovered them.

Mbaxa told the newspaper that she saw the mob dragging the two and beating them up.

“After beating them, they sent someone to go buy paraffin and doused them with it, put a tyre on them and set them alight,” she told the publication.

Khumalo was at the other end of the township at the time, and had been among people gathered at a local stadium to discuss crime.

He said he does not think he would be involved in crime prevention strategies again.

“If they trusted me, they would have told me that my child was on the list of people they were looking for. They did not even tell me they had killed him, I only arrived here to find ashes,” he told the newspaper.

Six people accused of gangsterism were burnt and killed in the township over the weekend. No arrests have been made. – Sapa

Black township Khutsong explodes, 5 killed

Five people, including a sangoma, were killed allegedly by community members in Khutsong near Carletonville on the West Rand on Sunday, Gauteng police said.

About 400 men, believed to be Khutsong residents, held a meeting to discuss gangsterism earlier in the day, Brigadier Neville Malila said.

Shortly after the meeting started, the crowd split up into smaller groups. One of the groups went to a house in Khutsong Extension Three, where they attacked a 61-year-old traditional healer, setting him and his house alight. The man died on the scene.

Other splinter groups from the meeting went to Extension Four Phase Two, where two young men, allegedly members of the Casanova gang, were assaulted and set alight. They also died at the scene.

Malila said that in Extension Five, Carletonville, the groups assaulted a number of people they accused of being gangsters.

“Two alleged gang members were stoned, one died on the scene and the other at the Carltonville Hospital.” No one had been arrested by early Sunday evening.

“Police vehicles who responded to the calls were stoned and damaged.”

No police were injured, and one resident who was assaulted by the group was in hospital in a stable condition.

Malila said the area remained volatile and there was increased police visibility and Public Order Policing Unit members were also called in to stabilise the area.

Acting provincial police commissioner Lt Gen Lesetja Mothiba urged anyone with information to come forward as such acts of violence could not be condoned.

Earlier, Constable Thembi Masango said that the sangoma was accused of working with gangsters in the area,.

She said the situation was “chaotic” just before 3pm.

Paul Ncwane, the chairman of the SA National Civic Organisation in the area said there were helicopters and police “Nyala” armoured vehicles, as well as police officers on foot in the area.

Angry people were moving around in groups and were splitting up to avoid the police and confuse them.

He said the community had had enough of young boys “terrorising them”.

“We are trying to stop gangsters. Women and children are living in fear because of these boys,” he said.

He said groups were also blocking the Potchefstroom road and throwing rocks at cars. – Sapa