Two people have been detained for vigilante mass murders in Delft and Cape Town

In Delft, Cape Town, five males aged between 25 and 36 were brutally killed. Prior to their deaths in the first week of the new year, the murdered men were reportedly accused of committing crimes in the neighborhood. Two individuals have been apprehended in relation to the murder.

Captain Frederick van Wyk, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS), stated that the two were arrested early on Friday, January 13.

“On Monday, January 2, 2023, the mangled and burned bodies of five men were discovered in an informal settlement in Delft.

The police spokesperson added, “Information at our disposal led us to believe that the murders were motivated by vigilantism and that the victims were accused by the community of having committed a crime in the area.”

The five males were reportedly suspected of breaking into a home in Delft and taking a cellphone. Their bodies were discovered near the informal village of Blikkiesdorp.

Reagan Allen, MEC for Community Safety in the Western Cape, stated that vigilantism is a direct reflection of the lack of faith in the justice system held by the citizens of Delft and other towns. He emphasized, however, that justice must be left to the authorities.

Allen told CapeTalk, “My call is essentially that by 2023, whenever community members wish to engage in such actions because of an allegation, they should rather report those cases and not take the law into their own hands.”

The police inquiry, according to Captain van Wyk, brought them to the informal community where the crime was committed. The two individuals apprehended are 30 and 35 years old.

On Monday, January 16, the accused are likely to face murder charges at the Bellville Magistrate’s Court. The investigation into the murders is ongoing, and additional arrests are possible.

The police spokeswoman stated, “Acts of vigilantism are condemned in the strongest possible terms, and our investigation focused on the local community because we had reason to believe the suspects are from the same area.”