By Mpho Modiba
SELWANE VILLAGE-A local pastor, Peter Chauke (36)was last night at about 21:30, beaten to death and set alight by the angry community members of Selwane village outside Phalaborwa.
This after he was accused of the disappearance of one of the four children who allegedly accompanied him to Giyani in the morning of yesterday Monday 13 February 2023.
The child, Premier Macevele (14) from Khakhala village in Giyani had visited his aunt who is the pastor’s wife’s younger sister.
The Priest allegedly went to Giyani with four kids and when he returned, one of the kids was missing. He allegedly told community members that the child was swept away when they crossed the river.
The child’s blood-stained clothes were found next to the river and this angered the mob who started assaulting the victim until he died. His body was then burned to ashes.
The Police were only called after the incident had taken place and on arrival, the mob had already dispersed.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has strongly condemned the persistent incidents of vigilantism in which people resort to extreme violence and murder and has ordered a dedicated team of investigators to6 hunt down all perpetrators, directly or indirectly involved in this brutal act and bring them to book.
“This horrendous act denied us the opportunity to get to the bottom of the matter and will further negatively impact our efforts to probe the disappearance of this child. We call on all law-abiding community members in the area with information to come forward to assist in this investigation,” concluded Lieutenant General Hadebe.
Anyone with information that can assist in locating the missing child or in the apprehension of the suspects is requested to contact Detective Sergeant Khumbuzile Mundhluli at 082 319 9713 or 015 783 5000 or the crime stop number 08600101111.
