Angry South Africans Burn Four Zimbabweans To Death In Alexandra
Four men were tragically killed on Tuesday night when an angry crowd set them ablaze at the Stjwetla informal neighbourhood in Alexandra. Members of the neighbourhood claim that these males, who are thought to be from Zimbabwe, were discovered in a shack with firearms.
Residents believe that while allegedly doing their crimes out of Soweto, where the weapons were found, the accused criminals had rented a home in Stjwetla. The community was angry and aggressive when the police arrived at the scene on Vasco Road near the Jukskei River, and they were unable to control it.
One resident in the area stated,
“The information we received is that the four individuals had guns and other dangerous weapons.”
The fact that these people had been actively involved in criminal activity in Alexandra was widely known throughout the neighbourhood. At 10 p.m., they would leave their home, only to return at 4 a.m., having committed numerous crimes nearby.
The community took action after cornering the suspected thugs in their hut. The accused men reportedly confessed to being from Zimbabwe but living in Soweto when the mob began attacking them. They also admitted that their top boss sent them to Alexandra to engage in criminal activities.
The event serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable level of lawlessness and vigilantism that occasionally characterises informal settlements like Stjwetla. However, it also raises important questions about taking the law into one’s own hands, as doing so not only results in the loss of innocent lives but also undermines the judicial system.
Although it is reasonable that the community is frustrated by the area’s escalating crime rates, such behaviour must be denounced and the appropriate authorities should be trusted to handle criminal cases and see to it that justice is done. In order to address the underlying causes of criminal activity and enhance safety in communities like Alexandra, improved law enforcement and crime prevention tactics are required.
