Cape Town-A suspected thief has been stoned to death in Khayelitsha in what appears to be the latest incident of vigilantism in the area.

Residents of Kuyasa’s School Site, in Khayelitsha, said the body of a man had been found at about 9am on Sunday.

Police confirmed that the man was found beside the road with two cement blocks lying beside him.

Themba Nomdimba, who lives in the area, said the man had been badly beaten. “I think he was trying to rob someone,” Nomdimba said.

Another resident, Nomtyala Gule, said she saw the body lying across the road from her house.

“I saw the body lying there, but I don’t know the story. I don’t want to lie, but I don’t know what happened to him,” Gule said.

Further down the road, a woman who asked not to be named said she heard a commotion in the morning and heard people saying there was something happening, but did not want to venture out.

Mvuseleli Lutha, who lives near the scene, said he noticed something was wrong when police cordoned off the area and removed the body.

Most residents said they did not know who the man was, and the police could not give details at the time of going to press.

Khayelitsha police, who are not allowed to comment officially, said that the man’s body was found on Sunday morning after officers had been called to the scene by residents.

Police members cordoned off the area with yellow tape while investigators combed the scene for clues. Police later helped the provincial forensic pathology services remove the body.

Provincial police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the man’s death. The killing brings to 17 the number of alleged criminals killed in street justice attacks in Khayelitsha in the past year.

The attacks prompted Premier Helen Zille to establish a commission of inquiry into an alleged breakdown in relations between the community and police at the Site B, Harare and Lingelethu West police stations.

Mob justice has become a regular occurrence in the area. Residents say poor communication between communities and the police is to blame.

Civil society groups handed Zille a chilling dossier last November detailing specific instances in which police had allegedly failed in their duty

Public hearings will be held at the end of this month.

Cape Argus