Daily Sun (October 7 2013) - IT WAS not the first time the nyaope addict had broken into their spaza shop. But this time the angry community had run out of patience . . . SO THEY CUT OFF SIX OF HIS FINGERS!
When the shop was broken into late on Friday night, it was the third time the shop had been robbed. This time, as before, airtime and money was stolen.
The 19-year-old man allegedly packed the money and airtime into a bag - but he had run out of luck because he was seen coming from the shop.
Cries of "Vimba! Vimba!" were heard in the streets of Grasmere, south of Joburg. The young man dropped the bag and tried to run away, but it was too late. The people chased and caught him. When they opened the bag they found the stolen goods.
His pleas fell on deaf ears and he was brutally beaten, but the worst horror was still to come.
A member of the group produced a panga.
Six of the man's fingers were cut off as he screamed in agony.
When police arrived, one of his fingers was still dangling from his hand. He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he is under police guard. Cops said he would be charged with robbery once he had recovered sufficiently.
The owner of the spaza shop only arrived at the scene when the man was already on the ground pleading with the crowd, but the shop owner was arrested by cops and taken away.
An angry member of the public said the shop owner had nothing to do with the attack.
"We are very disappointed that the police arrested him. He opened the shop to provide for his family and this boy has been stealing from him," said the man.
The owner's wife said: "I'm heartbroken. We tried to go to the police station to explain to the police but they said we must wait until he appears in court."
Ennerdale police spokeswoman Thembeka Koago said: "The spaza shop owner will be charged with assault. He will appear in court soon."
See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....
The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 287 222 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 2nd Quarter 2013) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.
Issued through the Politicsweb iService
