TWO Maseru-based taxi operators were over the weekend burnt to death by an angry city mob who accused them of stealing gas cylinders.
The gruesome incident, which occurred in Ha-Matala on Friday morning, has been confirmed by deputy police spokesperson, Inspector ’Mareabetsoe Mofoka.
She however, said she would only give more details when police had completed their investigations into the matter.
The shocking and grisly incident is the latest in a growing number of cases where the public, fed up by the police and judiciary’s failure to deal with criminals, end up taking the law into their own hands and punishing alleged offenders.
Whenever this happens, there is always a risk of innocent people needlessly losing their lives. Even when they are eventually cleared, there will be no way of rectifying the errors because the victims would be already dead.
This appears to be the case for the two deceased men as sources close to the weekend tragedy say they were punished for crimes that they did not commit. The sources said the duo had been hired by two other men to transport gas cylinders stolen from a house in Makhoakhoeng. They were not even aware that the cylinders had been stolen and they were not even given a chance to explain anything by the mob who caught up with them as they drove away with the stolen cylinders, the sources said.
Following the gruesome incident, Lesotho Times Senior Reporter, Bereng Mpaki, went out onto the streets of Maseru to gather public views on this escalating debating phenomenon of vigilante killings and what needs to be done to put an end to the scourge. Below are some of the public views on the highly emotive issue:
Ntate Teboho
It is not right for the public to mete out mob justice on suspected criminals. However, it has to be said that what we are now witnessing with escalating instances of mob justice is a culmination of public anger that has been building up over time. People are now frustrated by the police’s failure to enforce law and order within our communities. Even in situations where suspects are brought before the courts, they are soon back within their communities walking around freely. The public is fed up with the endless looting of public funds and politicians who cannot provide them with jobs. They are fed up with the failure to tackle violent crimes. The fact of the matter is those two suspects were not killed by the mob, they were let down by our authorities.
Reitumetse Tšooane
I am totally against the public taking the law into their own hands. In some cases people are accused of crimes they did not commit and the public is quick to react and punish them. When people are angry sometimes their judgement is clouded and they end up getting the wrong people without proving beyond reasonable doubt that they are indeed guilty.
It is regrettable that mob justice will continue happening because the public has been frustrated for a long time due to increasing crime levels which are happening without anything being done by the authorities. We need the police to quickly respond to crime scenes so that they take care of suspects before the public metes out its justice on them.
Maliehe Pheeane
It is wrong for anyone to take the law into their own hands. The public should always hand over suspects to the police so that they can do their investigations and take the appropriate measures. Ideally this is what should be happening. However, the Ha-Matala incident just goes to show that the public has had enough of crime and inaction by the police.
People are tired of handing over suspects to the police, only to see them back and free among them within a short space of time. They (police) need to work to regain the public’s trust. We need a rapid response from our police whenever they are called to a crime scene. A mob usually gathers at a crime scene and it can get out of control in the absence of police. However, if police quickly attend a crime scene, it will be possible to control the mob and thus save lives.
Ramatsepe Masike
It is not right to take anyone’s life. It was wrong for the Ha-Matala mob to take matters into their own hands. Their actions are a clear indication that human life is now held in low regard these days.
Our authorities have a mammoth task to contain public outrage and restore confidence in the police.
Neo Mofoka
Mob justice is wrong because we have law enforcement authorities who are supposed to deliver justice. However, it is clear that the law is not working for us that is why the public is doing it for themselves.
We need to improve our justice system or these mob killings will not stop.
‘Malerato Rammole
People are now taking the law into their own hands because police are not helping at all. Suspects are briefly detained and they are quickly back on the streets committing more crimes. Therefore, it is pointless to hand over suspects to the police. The people have no choice but to deal with criminals by themselves.
We used to have problems of thieves at the Maseru bus stop area and we decided to organise ourselves and fight them. That is how the problem ended.
Mampolokeng Ncheke
Mob justice is wrong. It is not good to take the law into one’s own hands because mistakes can happen and wrong people are attacked. What happens when innocent people are killed? They can never be brought back to life even if the truth eventually comes out.
But then again, the police should do their job. The public anger we see these days is because the police who are supposed to get rid of criminals off the streets are actually working in cahoots with them. They let their criminal friends get off lightly whenever they are arrested.
We need to empower our community policing members with more resources and powers to deal with suspects.
Ben Shakhane
The incident of mob justice in Ha-Matala has sent shock waves around the country. It indicates how far our justice system has fallen in the eyes of the public.
That being said, we need the mob that burned the two men to death to face justice. They are now the criminals and authorities must act harshly on them to send a clear message that mob justice is wrong.