Five killed in separate vigilante attacks in Mpumalanga

Five people have been killed in separate vigilante attacks in Mpumalanga.

In the latest attack, which occurred in eMalahleni's [Witbank] Vosman township, the bodies of three men, who were accused of being behind a spate of minibus-taxi hijackings, were found dumped in offices of a taxi rank.

Police said the men, who were found on Friday, were abducted on Thursday and taken to a house where they were beaten before they were forced to drink acid.

The murders follow the discovery of the bodies of two men in Mbombela [Nelspruit] on Monday by passers-by.

They were beaten to death after they were accused of being behind a spate of robberies in the town's Pienaar suburb before they were dumped on the side of the road.

Mpumalanga police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlati said police were searching for the killers of all five men.

He said the Vosman victims, who were among four people who were abducted on Thursday, were discovered on Friday after police received information on where they were being held.

"Officers discovered that they had been taken to a house where they were kept and assaulted after they were accused of hijacking taxis in and around the Vosman area."

He said when police arrived at house where they were being held, their captors snuck them out and took them to a nearby taxi rank.

"When police arrived at the rank the men [were found] in the offices of the taxi operators. Three of them were dead. They had all been beaten and allegedly made to drink an unknown acid.

"The fourth victim was taken to hospital where he told police how they had been abducted and assaulted."

Hlati said officers were investigating cases of kidnapping, murder, attempted murder and assault with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm.

He urged anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the suspects from both vigilante incidents to contact the police.