Eight members of the Ghost Town neighbourhood watch in Buffalo Flats face murder charges for their alleged involvement in the fatal beating of Quentin Conybear, which was caught on camera.
Conybear, 42, was attacked a week ago by a mob that accused him of theft. He later died of his injuries in hospital.
Footage of the attack showed Conybear being continuously beaten on the pavement before being put into a wheelbarrow, bleeding heavily, and pushed by an apparent friend, while the assault with baseball bats and sticks continued.
One video shows the wounded man, his ankles tied with rope, pleading for mercy while a group of people take turns to hit him.
Others douse him with liquid while laughing and hurling insults at him.
The assault took place on Wednesday last week, close to his home.
Community members said that Conybear had been taken to an East London hospital several hours after the incident.
One resident, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said Conybear had sustained severe injuries, including punctured lungs, a broken leg and a broken arm.
Conybear’s family declined to comment on Tuesday.
Provincial police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli confirmed the arrest of eight suspects accused of involvement in the attack.
Nkohli said the eight, aged between 23 and 35, were scheduled to appear in the East London Magistrate’s Court this week.
According to police insiders, five suspects were arrested on Friday and the other three over the weekend.
Commenting after watching footage of the attack, BCM Community Policing Forum leader Ludumo Salman described it as a barbaric act and condemned those who took the law into their own hands.
“They were making fun of him and the law because they had no intention to arrest the culprit and make him account for whatever he had taken.
“What I see is that people were just playing to the gallery and they were actually enjoying themselves. It’s wrong; we cannot have a state like that.”
He said communities, and especially community policing forums, needed to behave in line with the constitution.
“We are a constitutional state, we are a democratic state, we cannot have people killing other people.
“It’s not new, people are being killed for fun. People are being killed irrespective of individual issues. So it’s wrong what they did there, it’s wrong.”
Salman said Conybear did not deserve to be killed.
“That man didn’t deserve to die! Especially not like that.
“He should have been sentenced to two years in prison. The police should have been called.
“They tied him up, which was the right thing to do. But why beat him up while he is tied up? It’s barbaric what they did there.
“They played the role of heroes, but at the end of the day, who’s the villain now?”
Daily Dispatch
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