Drastic measures need to be taken urgently to restore law and order in our communities, otherwise residents will keep pushing the envelope with acts of vigilantism.
Once again yesterday, we woke up to headlines of a ghastly crime scene where the infamous necklacing method was used when four men were killed, and five others serious injured in Zandspruit, west of Johannesburg.
It was alleged that a group of about 200 residents went out to fetch the nine from their homes around 2am and took them to a nearby sports ground. They were severely assaulted, set alight and the four died on the scene while the five were rescued and taken to hospital in a critical state.
Police are investigating murder and attempted murder.
This is one of several mob justice incidents in the province, just two weeks ago we reported on two men who were stoned to death after they were allegedly spotted while trying to break into a shack in Qalabusha, near Daveyton, on the East Rand.
But the Zandspruit incident of nine people being attacked at once can be considered as the most brazen and shocking so far. It shows how far communities are willing to go in taking the law into their own hands, and pushing boundaries in what they can get away with.
People cannot be allowed to get away with this, police, community leaders and government at large must come up with ways of containing the violence entrenched in our society.
The return of the horror of necklacing has to be a turning point for authorities to take meaningful action, and say enough is enough. Bring the perpetrators to book, make an example out of them by meting out harsh sentences. Also, listen to residents' cries of poor policing and beef that up to avoid a repeat of this situation.
The necklacing method was used under the apartheid regime to kill spies even though it was strongly condemned by leaders of the Struggle back then. It's barbaric and goes against everything we stand for as a country as it violates human rights, it must be stopped now.
Change will only be possible if the police ministry officials sit down and examine what is behind lack of proper police i.e. not enough officers or police vans but these must be attended to as a matter of urgency.
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