A 25-year-old Nigerian man was stabbed to death and three women gang raped in a suspected gangsterism incident in Bethal, Mpumalanga.
The Nigerian man was allegedly chased by a group of five people and stabbed several times on Friday.
According to SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, police received a complaint from Bethal Hospital about a man who was admitted with multiple stab wounds but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.
“Upon arrival at the hospital, the members opened a murder case. The investigation by the police then revealed that on that fateful night, a group of about five males reportedly had an altercation with the man who then ran towards a local fuel station in Bethal. It is further alleged that the man was pursued by the suspects, thereby stabbing him several times before they left him in a pool of blood.”
He said medical personnel were notified about the incident and they took him to hospital but he was later certified dead. He was identified by his family as June Mwafor.
“Police learnt through their probe that after the incident, the suspects proceeded to a certain house where they found three women and allegedly gang-raped them before they fled the scene on foot.”
The group of five, consisting of three teenagers aged 17 and 16, were arrested on Saturday,
They were charged with murder and an additional three counts of rape.
Brigadier Mohlala said the police were working in collaboration with other stakeholders, including the probation officers and social workers, as some of the suspects were minors.
“Police cannot rule out the possibility of the five being involved in some kind of gangsterism. However, this will form part of the investigation by the detectives,” he said.
They were all expected to appear in the Bethal Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Mpumalanga provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has reassured the public that police would continue to work tirelessly to dismantle any form of criminal groupings or syndicates that terrorise communities with crime, citing the recent hefty sentence imposed in Marite.
“There is so much space created by the various challenges that the world faces today, which young people can turn into opportunities by bringing forth innovative ideas and solutions rather than engaging themselves in criminal activities.
“We encourage the youth to join the youth crime prevention desk at their respective police stations to constructively participate in inventive ways of preventing and tackling crime in society,” said General Manamela.
-IOL
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