Fifth citizen this year dies at the hands of Beira mob

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Fifth citizen this year dies at the hands of Beira mob

11:55 CAT | 14 Jun 2017

Miramar

An individual whose identity is still unknown was beaten to death after allegedly failing to burgle a residence in Beira city, Sofala province, on Monday morning.

The barbaric act of vigilante justice happened in the Chingussura neighbourhood, whose residents accuse the police of failing to operate effectively and of systematically restoring to freedom malefactors apprehended by the general public.

The man was also accused of belonging to a gang of assailants who used machetes, A Vaerdade was told.

He fell into the hands of the mob when the owner of the house he was trying to burgle called for help. The man’s neighbours, who were on the look-out for thieves because of the high level of crime in the area, started beating him, without giving him time to defend itself.

Another version of events is that the man was found in the street in the company of a friend, and mistaken for a thief. His companion fled when he realised how agitated the residents were.

The man was beaten to death with sticks and clubs, for allegedly being part of the so-called “machete men”. He is the fifth victim to die by mob justice this year.

At least 26 people were killed by mob justice in Mozambique in 2015, according to Attorney General Beatriz Buchili’s annual report to the Assembly of the Republic.

In 2016, the number of cases rose to 27, with the country recording, on average, one execution every two weeks. This, Buchili noted, suggested a practice whose combat required the involvement of all sections of society.