Cape Town police have arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of five men in an informal settlement.
Western Cape police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said the two were arrested in Delft during the early hours of Friday.
“On January 2 the badly mutilated bodies of five men were discovered in an informal settlement in Delft, after they were killed and set alight,” he said.
“Information at our disposal led us to believe the murders were motivated by vigilantism and that the victims were accused by the community of having committed a crime in the area.
“The investigation took the integrated investigation team to the informal settlement where the murders were committed, where they arrested two suspects, aged 30 and 35, on charges of murder at around 3am this morning [Saturday].”
Two suspects arrested for Cape Town ‘vigilante mass murders’
Image: 123RF
Cape Town police have arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of five men in an informal settlement.
Western Cape police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said the two were arrested in Delft during the early hours of Friday.
“On January 2 the badly mutilated bodies of five men were discovered in an informal settlement in Delft, after they were killed and set alight,” he said.
“Information at our disposal led us to believe the murders were motivated by vigilantism and that the victims were accused by the community of having committed a crime in the area.
“The investigation took the integrated investigation team to the informal settlement where the murders were committed, where they arrested two suspects, aged 30 and 35, on charges of murder at around 3am this morning [Saturday].”
Eastern Cape man 'killed by mob' over sister’s missing social grant card
The suspects are set to appear in the Bellville magistrate's court on Monday.
“The investigation of the mass murders is still under way and more arrests could be affected in due course,” said Traut.
“Acts of vigilantism are condemned in the strongest possible terms and our investigation focused on the local community as we had reason to believe the suspects are from the same area.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
READ MORE:
Mpumalanga councillor and two others die in a volley of bullets
Salvokop memorial: ‘My twins were born together and died together’
Two burnt bodies found next to three cattle carcasses in Mpumalanga
Five people shot in Eldorado Park, two killed
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos