Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
A GANG of nine angry villagers took the law into their hands after accusing three men of poaching fish and polluting water at a village dam. Now they’re the ones behind bars.
The men, aged between 19 and 39, stormed into the victims’ huts, armed with various weapons, dragged them out and dished out a brutal beating before hauling them to the dam. The terrified trio were detained overnight at the local kraal head’s home in a chilling act of mob justice.
The victims denied ever poaching or tampering with the dam water and were finally released the next morning. But the long arm of the law caught up with the self-appointed enforcers.
The case landed at Tredgold Magistrates’ Court where all nine were convicted of unlawful entry, kidnapping and illegal detention. Each was slapped with a 4-year jail term.
Authorities have condemned the vigilante action, warning communities to report suspicions to police instead of turning into mobs.
