By OBAKENG MAJE
A man who was abducted by the residents of Modimong village near Taung in connection of the former Vaaltar FM presenter and socialite, Tshepang Seelo’s murder case said he has ‘forgiven’ his disparagers.
On 17 November 2021, Bakang ‘Mahommed’ Katong was abducted by some angry community members from Modimong village outside the Taung Magistrate’s Court. They allegedly shoved him in a red bakkie and fled.
They allegedly linked Katong to two suspects, Rebaone Malekanyo (32) and Tumelo Tlonkwe (31) who were arrested for assaulting Seelo, while the police are investigating kidnapping and murder case against them.
According to some community members, one of the suspects allegedly confessed that the ‘missing’ body parts of Seelo were sold to Katong. It is alleged that the eyes and tongue were missing from the deceased’s body.
However, Katong said: “Even though I was injured by the angry community members for something that I did not do, I would not open any criminal case against them. I am at peace and I have forgiven them.
“Right now, I am at Taung District Hospital seeking medical attention. I believe that they did not know what they were doing.”
Meanwhile, the North West police spokesperson, Lit Colonel Amanda Funani was quick to squash those allegations that Seelo’s body was mutilated.
“Yes, we can confirm that a man was kidnapped by community members and the police came to his rescue. He was unharmed in the whole fiasco and he is currently at his residential area.
“The victim is not linked to Seelo’s murder case. As the police, we can also confirm that there were no body parts missing from the deceased’s body,” Funani said.
The police strongly warn the community to refrain from committing acts of mob justice. They call on community members to report criminal activities to the lawful authorities rather than taking the law into their own hands.
“People who engage in mob justice should know that the law will definitely be after them. There is nobody who is above the law, despite whatever grievances one might have. You cannot be law unto yourself.
“So, we encourage communities to join structures such as the Community Police Forums (CPF’s) and work together with their local Traditional Leadership with a clear mandate of addressing crime. Acts of mob justice are acts of crime, that’s all.”
The Guardian 