Eight people have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of an Alexandra school pupil, Johannesburg police said on Tuesday.
Inspector Amanda Roestoff said two teenagers and a man were arrested on Monday after the body of the kidnapped 20-year-old was found near the Jukskei River earlier in the day.
Three were arrested during the day on Tuesday and two more early on Tuesday evening.
She said the body of Daseka Mokone was found in a ditch by a passer-by at about 4.30pm. Mokone had bruises and burn wounds all over his body.
It was thought that Mokone, a Grade 10 pupil from the Realogile Secondary School, was kidnapped during a break between periods at about noon on Monday.
”A high school teacher informed police about the disappearance which led to a team search conducted by members of the Alexandra crime intelligence unit,” Roestoff said.
Information led them to an 11th Street home in Alexandra, where the first three were arrested.
A Z88 pistol with its serial number filed off was confiscated during the arrests.
Five more arrests, at various locations, took place throughout the township on the north-east edge of Johannesburg on Tuesday. Roestoff said witnesses reported that six people, some school pupils, invaded the school premises and forced Mokone to accompany them.
He was subsequently beaten to death in the presence of 12 people. The motive for the killing was still not clear by Tuesday night.
The Gauteng department of education (GDE) has expressed shock at the murder. ”The department is deeply concerned and implores communities to
embrace efforts to implement the school safety policy that advocates the closing of school gates as a preventative measure against such incidences,” the GDE said in a statement.
District officials who visited the school confirmed that the police had been invited to address pupils to warn them against vigilantism to avenge the victim.
”The department condemns any vigilante action and also warns students to be cognisant of consequences of unlawful actions. ”Our heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved family,” the department said. – Sapa