THREE MEN SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR MOB JUSTICE
The High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Local Division, in Johannesburg sentenced the three accused, Sibusiso Mogedi (27), Jabulani Nkosi (69), and Stanley Mogedi (33), to life imprisonment each, for meting out mob justice on the late Emmanuel Maboea, in February 2017, at Vosloorus. The fourth accused, Mary Mokoloi, was acquitted of all the charges.
The court heard that the trio searched for Maboea, and found him at a friend’s place, they assaulted and put him in a boot of a car as they alleged that he had broken into one of the accused’s houses and stolen some items. They assaulted and coerced him into confessing that he had stolen their belongings. Maboea was then taken to his home where the accused found his younger brother. The accused searched for their belongings, but they could not find anything.
The younger brother opened the boot and found Maboea unconscious and pleaded with the accused to release him as he was badly injured. The deceased’s mother told the accused to take her son to the police station, as they accused him of stealing from them. They drove with Maboea to the police station, and on arrival, the police said they must take him to the hospital since he was badly injured.
The next day the brother of thr deceased man went to the police station to look for his brother but was told that the police instructed the accused to take him to the hospital for medical attention. The brother proceeded to the hospital, and there were no records of his brother being admitted. Maboea’s body was found dumped in an open field on 08 February 2017, with blunt force injuries.
In arguing for a stringent sentence, Senior Adv. Matthews Rampyapedi argued that the accused took the law into their own hands and failed to ensure that the deceased received medical care.
The NPA commends Adv. Matthews Rampyapedi and Sergeant Basani Nkuna, for ensuring that justice is served. We hope the sentence will deter communities from taking the law into their own hands and learn to allow law enforcement to intervene in community disputes.
