Fleeing mob justice, man jumps into raging Nkomazi River and drowns

The man and his friend were being chased by an angry mob when they jumped into the Nkomazi River. The friend made it across the river.

The man and his friend were being chased by an angry mob when they jumped into the Nkomazi River. The friend made it across.

Pretoria – Police in Mpumalanga have retrieved the body of a 27-year-old man who drowned in the Nkomazi River while fleeing from an angry mob.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson,Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the man, and another man who managed to swim across the raging river, were being pursued by a group of people.

Mohlala said the drowning came just as the Tonga community was breathing a sigh of relief that the recent floods were over.

“Unlike drownings witnessed recently which were mainly accidental, the current drowning of a 27-year-old male is regrettable, and police believe that it could have been avoided if people adhered to the call by police to refrain from any form of mob justice.

“It is reported that the victim and his friend were allegedly trying to save their lives from the angry mob in Tonga when they ran into Nkomazi River,” he said.

As the two men tried to cross the Nkomazi River on Friday, one of them disappeared, swept away by the current.

“His body was spotted by the police’s air wing yesterday morning, March 22, six days after he went missing, about 5km from the scene where he reportedly drowned,” said Mohlala.

“Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death that led to the attack and those involved.”

The acting Mpumalanga police commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has appealed to the public to report crime to the police instead of “taking reckless decisions which might end up claiming people’s lives”.

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