- An innocent man was brutally beaten to death, and his body and car burnt, in a mob justice attack in Parkwood, Grassy Park, on Tuesday.
- The man was later identified as Abongile Mafalala, an e-hailing taxi driver from Dunoon, Cape Town.
- He was called to the scene, via an e-hailing taxi app, by alleged thugs and then robbed and wrongfully accused of kidnapping.
Abongile Mafalala was an innocent man, gruesomely murdered in a mob justice attack on Tuesday morning in Parkwood, Grassy Park, in Cape Town.
Graphic videos of the brutal attack were widely circulated on social media.
Community members believed that Mafalala was responsible for rumoured kidnappings in the area. It was later revealed by police and community safety forum members that no kidnappings had been reported.
Police investigations later revealed that Mafalala, an e-hailing taxi driver from Dunoon, Cape Town, accepted a ride request from two alleged thugs.
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On arrival, he was beaten and robbed - and then wrongfully accused of kidnapping.
After being told that Mafalala was guilty, about 100 community members gathered. He was then severely beaten and his body and car were burnt.
His family are devastated and maintain that an innocent man was murdered.
This week, on The Story, we talk to News24 reporter Lisalee Solomons, who closely covered the story.
We then discuss mob justice, within a South African context, with the Institute for Security Studies' Lizette Lancaster, who works in the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme.
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