Masoyi – Two burnt bodies of suspected cattle thieves and the wreck of their torched Nissan bakkie were found at the weekend in bushes in Mpumalanga.
The gruesome find was made on Saturday in the Nhlalakahle Trust area, near Masoyi, outside Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit).
Commenting on the matter, Mpumalanga SA Police Service spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said community members showed the police where the bodies were.
“One of the deceased was found lying outside the burnt vehicle and the second body was found inside the vehicle,” Brigadier Mohlala said.
“Police have since instituted an investigation on who might have been involved in the gruesome murders.”
Suspicions were that the two dead men were victims of mob justice prompted by rising cases of cattle rustling.
Brigadier Mohlala warned against mob justice, saying vigilantism was against the law.
He said community members should rather report criminal activities to the police than take the law into their own hands.
“Currently, information from preliminary investigations suggests that the victims were murdered following allegations of stock theft in the area,” Brigadier Mohlala said.
