POLOKO TAU
WHEN more than 200 angry community members descended on a self-confessed drug addict accused of a spate of housebreakings, he could have been forgiven for fearing the worst kind of mob justice.
Bonakele “Jah-Man” Hlongwane had seen it all before – the accused grabbed by a mob, beaten and sometimes killed.
A terrified Jah-Man, 26, quickly realised the game was up, and the only thing that would save him would be complete co-operation, so wasted no time in revealing all to a group of residents at Thembelihle informal settlement, near Lenasia, on Thursday afternoon.
Angered by a spate of thefts in the area, residents had taken to the streets to hunt for three suspects on Wednesday. Two, known among the community to be addicts of the drug known as nyaope, were captured, but Jah-Man managed to escape.
The two took their captors to shacks where stolen goods had been hidden.
“We’ll wait for the community to identify their belongings,” said resident Simon Mojela. “Then we managed to catch Jah-Man a day later and he also co-operated.”
Jah-Man led a huge crowd – many of whom were baying for his blood – for several hours, taking them from one shack of stolen goods to another.
He then asked to address the community. “People, I am begging for your forgiveness. I have learnt my lesson today and I swear I will never steal or break into your houses again,” said Jah-Man.
“I have been in the wrong company of friends and they would have thought I was a coward if I didn’t join in. I am prepared to work with the community and help you catch more of these guys and recover more stolen goods.”
Jah-Man, who lives with his unemployed mother, said poverty had forced him into crime. Then he had started using drugs.
“We do this to feed our drug addiction mostly, but now after today I have realised that nyaope is bad. I’m prepared and willing to accept any help that could rehabilitate me.”
Thembelihle community members said they had started hunting down suspected criminals and forcing them to point out the stolen goods because “police were not helping”.
“We’ll also target those who sell drugs and buy stolen property, and in the end we may just dismantle their shacks and ask them to leave the area,” said resident Mzwakhe Ngcobo.