Suspected cable thief set alight by mob

A MAN accused of stealing copper cables died when he was caught and set alight by an enraged mob in Maniini village just outside Thohoyandou on Saturday evening.

- DOVHANI NENGOVHELA

According to residents, the man was caught red-handed while stripping the plastic casing off stolen copper cables. The community, fed up with repeated power outages and the ongoing theft of electricity infrastructure, took matters into their own hands.

A resident, speaking anonymously, said that a late-night meeting was held around 23:00 to search for the culprits, known locally as 'izinyoka' (illegal connections or cable thieves).