Police minister Bheki Cele to visit scene of gruesome Diepsloot 'mob attack'

Police minister Bheki Cele will on Thursday afternoon visit the crime scene of the alleged vigilante killing overnight of Elvis Nyathi in Diepsloot Extension 1.

Cele’s spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said he and police management would use the opportunity to update residents on the situation after more police were deployed in the area.

Nyathi, who was identified by his family, was stoned and burnt to death overnight by a group moving door-to-door through the informal settlement, challenging residents to produce passports and identity documents to prove their nationality.

Hundreds of community members took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against crime and poor policing of immigration laws.

The community threatened to shut down the township over a crime spree they experienced in the past few months and a murder at the weekend when a man in his 20s was shot dead during a robbery.

Responding to the community, Cele said more than 50 police members, including 30 tactical response team members, and 16 new police vehicles would be deployed to ensure that crime-fighting was strengthened.

Gauteng premier David Makhura has condemned the latest attack.

“The premier condemns any attack [on] anyone. People must work with the police and not take the law into their own hands. This will affect innocent people, including South Africans,” said the premier's spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga.

Meanwhile, the EFF said it would visit the family and ensure that justice was served.

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