Angry Residents Nab Friend of Suspected Soweto Rapist, Police Intervene to Prevent Mob Justice

• Angry Orlando residents are demanding justice after a six-year-old was raped and murdered in Soweto
• Residents interrogated a man who is believed to be a friend of the suspect before police took him into custody
• Police are now on the hunt for the rape suspect, Phethe Simiao, a Mozambican national who is illegally in the country

SOWETO – Police in Orlando have had to step in to save a man as tensions flared in the area following the rape and death of a six-year-old girl.

The youngster was reportedly lured from the street where she was playing with other children and her body was later discovered in a shack two streets away.

Police have since released a photo of Phethe Simiao, a Mozambican national who is suspected of committing the crime, but outraged community members are determined to find him themselves. He is said to be in the country illegally.

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Orlando residents nab suspect’s friends

Residents took matters into their own hands when they nabbed a man they accused of being a friend of Simiao.

The furious group marched the man through the streets, demanding that he give them details about the suspect's whereabouts. They also demanded his phone because they believed he was still in communication with Simiao.

Community members grew more frustrated as the man denied that he knew the Mozambican national or that he was in communication with him

Police and councillor step in

The situation nearly boiled over during the community’s interrogation of the man, as they grew frustrated with him denying that he knew the suspect.

The community alleged that all the friends of the Mozambican national suddenly didn’t have his number. Before the police arrived, the councillor in the area had to step in to prevent the community from enacting mob justice.

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Angry residents brought out tyres at one stage, in a threat to the suspect’s friend, but the councillor stepped in to ensure they didn’t harm the man.

SAPS then arrived and took him away while they engaged with the community to find out what was happening.

Manhunt launched for suspected rapist

Briefly News previously noted that police were on the hunt for a man who raped and killed a six-year-old girl.

The rape occurred in Orlando in Soweto, and the girl’s dead body was found in the man’s shack soon afterwards.

The South African Police Service has asked the community for assistance in finding the suspect, who is on the run.

Source: Briefly News