A DEVASTATED madala was left homeless after his home was allegedly burnt by an angry mob.
The 68-year-old from Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga said he had just got home with his herd of goats on Wednesday, 9 August at around 5pm when the drama unfolded.
He said the angry mob confronted him, baying for his son's blood.
Madala said they accused his son of being responsible for the brutal killing of his lover who was a pupil in the nearby Utah Village. The young woman's body was found dumped near the road in Hluvukani on 30 July with her throat slit.
"My son ran for his life, leaving his bakkie in the garage. But they pushed it out and smashed its windows before they set it alight.
"The other group ran around the house and smashed all the house windows with stones and sticks and ripped off two JoJo tanks with water and burnt them. They burnt my valuable documents including my ID and bank cards," he said.
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Madala's worried sister (42) said if her nephew was a killer, why would they loot his dad's goats, food, furniture and the three fridges full of meat?
She said the mob fired shots as others petrol-bombed the house.
"We can't protect our son if he's on the wrong side of the law or if the police investigations link him to his lover's murder. We're going to surrender him to the police to face the mighty hand of law if he really murdered that girl,” she said.
A shocked community induna, Eric Ndlovu strongly condemned the incident and called for peace.
"This is a barbaric act. The burning of this old man’s house by villagers is wrong. We want justice to take its course without any fear. I was part of the witnesses who attended the scene where the girl was found dead," he said.
Brigadier Selvy Mohlala confirmed that the body of a female victim was found in Hluvukani on 30 July 2023.
"Police received information from the community members about a body of a woman aged between 20 and 30 years that was found next to IHC Church in Hluvukani," he said.
He said police are investigating separate cases of murder and arson.
