The bereaved family of a murdered Platfontein woman, whose body was found in a shallow grave recently, rescued a suspect from an angry mob on Tuesday and guarded him the whole day until the police arrived.
THE BEREAVED family of a murdered Platfontein woman, whose body was found in a shallow grave recently, rescued a suspect from an angry mob on Tuesday and guarded him the whole day until the police arrived.
The badly assaulted body of 25-year-old Aney Mbambo was discovered by a shepherd in the vicinity of Promised Land and Phuthanang on September 29.
Mbambo had been reported missing from her home in Platfontein on September 20.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said the Galeshewe police have opened an inquest docket following the discovery of Mbambo’s body.
Sam said that a shepherd stumbled upon what seemed to be a human body concealed in a shallow grave and immediately informed the police.
The suspect who was handed over to the police on Tuesday is believed to be the boyfriend of the deceased and was reportedly the last person to have been seen with her.
The mother of the deceased, Naminda Fernando, said they started searching for her daughter on September 19 after she did not return home. They reported her missing the following day.
Fernando said she saw her daughter earlier in the day on September 19 when she came home to change her clothes.
According to Fernando, her daughter never left Platfontein without anyone’s knowledge and never slept out.
She described Mbambo as a “vibey” but “disciplined” person.
She explained that she had raised Mbambo from a young age after her biological mother died.
Fernando said a search party was established by the community and had been working around the clock after Mbambo went missing.
She said her daughter’s body was found not far from the shack and workplace of the suspect, who is a shepherd.
“I am shattered to raise a child until this age, only for her to be taken away from me in such a brutal manner,” said Fernando.
“Her face was bashed beyond recognition. There was also a cut on her face. Her skirt was halfway down her thighs and she had a rope around her neck,” added the tearful mother.
Fernando said the suspect came to their house on Tuesday, October 3 to try and convince the family that he did not know Mbambo.
“This caused outrage among the community as fingers had been pointed at him, as the person who was last seen with my daughter.
“The search party had been going to his shack but he was never home and did not make an attempt to come to us.
“The only reason that drove him to come to us was after relatives pointed him out.
“When he came, the angry community members wanted to take an eye for an eye. They arrived with knives, stones and weapons, jumping the fence and gate in an effort to get to him.
“We all wanted to know how he got a blue eye and why the children said he was wearing my daughter’s shoes, which she was seen wearing the last time she was seen alive. Her body was discovered without shoes.
“As scary as the situation was, we had to hide him inside the house as the community members did not want to hear reason or wait for the police.
“Being the peace-loving and church-going people that we are, we did not want anyone else to get hurt or for the wrong person to be arrested.”
The Galeshewe police confirmed that they responded to an apparent incident of mob justice in Platfontein on October 4 and later released the man who had been rescued.
“The Platfontein community spotted and apprehended an alleged suspect that was last seen with the deceased and forced him to hand himself over to the police,” said Sam.
“The alleged suspect was questioned by the police and later released as he could not be linked to the case.”
The police urged the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and to instead work with the police to fight crime.
