A man who allegedly set a shack on fire with his stepson (7) inside was allegedly killed by the community in Trenance Park, KZN, on Sunday morning.
Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) responded to the area popularly known as 2B just before 10.30 am after receiving reports that a man was beaten to death and set alight by the community.
On arrival, RUSA said reaction officers entered the informal area and found a partially naked body of a man lying in the burnt remains of the informal home.
RUSA said according to residents, the man had an altercation with his girlfriend on Saturday afternoon before he stormed out of the house.
The woman opted to spend the night at a neighbor's house while her seven-year-old son attended a Christmas function with her sister. Residents said the woman was unaware that the child returned and was in the house alone when her boyfriend returned later and set it on fire. He then fled the scene.
On Sunday morning, members of the community went to look for him and eventually found him in the Chubbies Garage area. They returned to the house that he had allegedly set on fire.
The man allegedly committed to rebuilding the shack and replacing the damaged goods. Community members then began sifting through the debris and found the child's body burnt beyond recognition.
The mob became enraged and allegedly began assaulting the man before they allegedly set him on fire.
