Two men jailed for brutal vigilante attack on alleged drug dealer
'The incident unfolded when the Bloemfontein public order policing team was deployed to Bethlehem for crowd management duties after reports of community members confronting alleged drug dealers in the Bohlokong area,' said police spokesperson Sgt Mahlomola Kareli.
'One of the houses targeted was that of the alleged drug lord in the community.'
Two female police officers intervened when a large crowd started stabbing a 37-year-old man with pangas and knives. The victim died at the scene.
Two men were arrested: Joseph Tshabalala, 44, also known as 'Toki', and Ernest Semela, 25, also known as 'Bikkie'.
Seventeen more suspects were rounded up, including a women, with an assortment of weapons and petrol bombs.
' After a two-year investigation and trial, the two primary suspects, Joseph 'Toki' Tshabalala and Ernest 'Bikkie' Semela, pleaded guilty to murder. They were each sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for murder,' said Kareli.
'The case against 17 other suspects was withdrawn.'
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