A 21-YEAR-OLD man has paid with his life for allegedly raping a grade 12 pupil on Saturday, 2 April.
The girl was on her way home from school in Tsakane Village in Marite near Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, when the suspect allegedly dragged her into the bushes and raped her.
He fled afterwards but on Sunday he was caught by angry residents. who cornered him in the street.
They dragged him to the victim’s home, where she identified him as her rapist.
They left him dying in a pool of blood. When the police arrived, the mob was nowhere to be found.
Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said: “Police received information that people were assaulting a man in Tsakane.
“On arrival, they found the deceased, who was identified as Jabu Mokoena from the nearby Mazakhele Village. He had injuries all over his body.”
He said there were sticks and stones scattered around the scene. which shows that they were the instruments used to kill the deceased.
Mohlala confirmed that according to the preliminary investigation, the man was accused of raping the grade 12 pupil. on her way home from school. “A statement from the victim says the mob brought the deceased to her home where she identified him as the rapist.
“They then took him away and back to Tsakane on the way they started assaulting him. She went home but later heard he was dead,” said Mohlala.
A case of murder has been opened. Anyone with information is asked to contact the nearest police station.
