The men had allegedly stolen, among others, a flat screen TV from a house in the area. After hiding their loot, they reportedly casually walked down Adriaans Road before an alleged victim recognised them and raised the alarm.
An angry crowd gathered and chased after the suspected burglars. They cornered the two men at Alecia McNamara's property on Adriaans Road and assaulted them with sticks and stones. The crowd demanded that the alleged burglars point out the houses they allegedly stole from or where they may have sold stolen items.
"What is happening, what is becoming of our peaceful area? Asla Park now is almost as bad as Manenberg in Cape Town," a resident responded to the chaos. The SA Police had to resort to stun grenades to restore peace and calm in the area.
Damage
"The situation was one of total chaos," Alecia McNamara told the Mossel Bay Advertiser on Friday.
"They (alleged burglars) were being hit with sticks and pelted with stones. Eventually they broke down the gate to my home in an attempt to escape from the crowd, trying to find refuge in my yard. The Police arrived and when they tried to remove the two men, the crowd reacted angrily by throwing stones at the burglars and the SAPS.
"The Police and my home were hit and a huge stone was flung through my home's front window.
"I am just relieved that I was home to take care of my children. Can you imagine just how petrified they must have been while all of this happened?"
"The situation quickly degenerated and police members became trapped inside the property where they were trying their utmost to protect the suspects from further harm," KwaNonqaba SAPS communication officer Sgt Nomzi Jika said.
Negotiations with the community followed. She told the Advertiser: "As the partners were trying to implement an agreed to decision, another alleged female suspect was brought forward and also assaulted. This suspect broke free and ran to the only available help."
Sgt Jika without hesitation grabbed the woman by the hand and, assisted by Cst Ajah, fled to a nearby police vehicle to escape the angry and violent mob.
The mob continued to throw stones at the police and Sgt Jika was hit in the ribs. Fortunately, she did not sustain serious injuries.
Specialised unit
The Crime Combating Unit (CCU), a specialised well-trained unit deployed to deal with unruly situations, was called in from George to assist in dispersing the crowd by using stun grenades.
"Communities are urged to comply with the law. House break-in incidents are a concern and the SAPS, with the assistance of the Community Police Forum, are currently reviewing the community structures such as Subforums, Neighbourhood Watches (NHW), Victim Empowerment Volunteers and Street Committees that should be helping to prevent crimes through various initiatives," Sgt Jika said.
Calm
"The SAPS encourage communities to take a stand against crime, however, condemn any act of violence."
Long after the incident the police continued to patrol the area to restore calm. Groups of angry residents gathered on the corners tanddiscussed the prevalence of crime in the area.
Both victims were treated in a local hospital in Mossel Bay.
Capt Serfontein of KwaNonqaba Detective Service thanked and congratulated all units for professionally taking the situation in hand and for their good work in restoring peace and calm to the community.
Baying for blood, an angry mob refused to disperse after they had trapped two suspected burglars. The KwaNonqaba Police were forced to call in reinforcements from George to normalise the situation.Photo: Nickey le Roux
ARTICLE: NICKEY LE ROUX, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
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