The report of a man being beaten by three men in Barberton was delivered to Barberton police by the witnesses.
Then cops rushed to the scene and discovered that the man was badly beaten.
So cops quickly took the man to hospital but upon arrival the man “succumbed” and immediately after hearing the news of the man dying due to the injuries caused to him by the men, the community members fumed.
In a statement, Mpumalanga police said they then acted and nabbed ANC ward councillor Mandla Mamba and four others – identified as 24-year-old Sihle Nkambule, Sabelo Mlotshwa (20), Themba Mwale (33) and 32-year-old Gift Mnisi.
Police didn’t release the name of the man who was assaulted to death by the five but said: “Police received a report about a man who was assaulted by three men and when we arrived at the scene, we found the man was in a critical condition.
“He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed shortly upon arrival,” provincial spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said on Tuesday.
Two houses belonging to two of the suspected three men were set alight by the community members – by a group of people cops say “are believed to be friends of the victim”.
“The Fire and Rescue Team were summoned to extinguish the fire,” Hlathi said.
“But in the process were attacked by the group,” he said, adding that the revengers then allegedly assaulted the officials, robbing them of a firearm and setting the whole government truck on fire.
Hlathi didn’t say however in the statement where in Barberton the incident took place but said the eight men appeared before the Barberton Magistrates Court on Monday morning for the Saturday morning incident.
“A manhunt for the arsonist and murder suspects was launched, which yielded positive result. Three of the suspects have been charged with murder and five suspects, including a ward councillor have been charged with malicious damage to property and robbery”.
He said the murder suspects will return to court on 12 September 2016 for formal bail application as well the five who return this week Friday for their own separate bail application in connection with the revenge of the 30-year-old Barberton man’s murder.
(edited by MLM)
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