From Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 14 minutes ago
Seven suspected criminals were captured, tied up and burned alive by a mob in one of South Africa’s most violent townships. STRINGER / AFP
The criminals suffered “collar torture,” which involved the use of a tire that was placed around the victim’s neck, doused with gasoline and then set on fire.
Seven suspected criminals were captured, tied up and burned alive by a mob in one of South Africa’s most violent townships, police and residents have learned.
According to police spokeswoman Mavela Masondo, “preliminary investigations indicate that the victims were attacked and burned by the mob.” Police reinforcements were sent to the scene. “They were chased, captured and tied up before being killed. “Yes, it was a collar,” said one resident, referring to “collar torture,” which is the use of a hoop (or rope) placed around the victim’s neck, doused with gasoline and then set on fire. The police condemn “acts of self-defense and usurpation of the law in the strongest terms, as these are serious crimes,” said the spokesman.
South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world. But officials in the predominantly black municipality of Diepsloot, a town of more than 350,000 north of Johannesburg where there have been numerous murders and rapes, say the town has been abandoned by authorities.
The country of around 60 million people recorded an average of 68 murders per day in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of almost 20% compared to the same period in 2019.