The family of a man who was beaten and burnt alive allegedly by the community after it emerged that he was terrorizing the community want justice. Nsikukazifani ’Mashobane’ Khumalo (42) from Emabheleni in the South of Durban but now are based Umlazi outside Durban in KwaZulu Natal, told ZiMoja that Mzweleni Xaba (24) was allegedly beaten to death and later his body burnt on Sunday night after he was accused of raping over ten women in the area

FAMILY SEEKING ANSWERS

. ?My cousin was staying in Umlazi with her girlfriend when they had an argument with their neighbours in December. My cousin called me and informed me that the neighbours came to their house and pointed firearms to him. He informed that he was being targeted because he was seen as the man of the house and someone who was protecting this family being bullied by their neighbours. I thought this was over after he told me that everything was sorted. I never thought that they were going to course more fight over the December argument,? he said.

Khumalo said that he was shocked when he received a call from Xaba’s girlfriend informing that the community was beating him up after the rumours were allegedly spread by neighbours that he had raped someone in the area.

THE PEOPLE’S JUSTICE

?My cousin called me on Sunday before he came to visit me to show me the carvela shoes his girlfriend bought for him. He told me that he was coming to inform me that his girlfriend had bought him two carvela shoes and that she will leave him to look out for the house she was moving into another location as she has found work. My cousin later left me to go back to Umlazi, I was shocked when the neighbour that was not on speaking terms with him called me to inform me that the community was beating him up and that they had killed him. The neighbour called me again to inform me that the community was about to burn his body. They told me that the community was beating him up for raping more than ten girlfriends. Where did Mzweleni find the time to rape people because he was always at work since he was a taxi door operator? People just killed my cousin for nothing. My cousin had plans to become a taxi driver because he knew his situation, now he is no mored,? he said. Khumalo further said that the community members who murdered Xaba are known in the area. "The people that burnt my cousin are known in the area and they are the ones who were in the forefront and were busy spreading the lies about him. I suspect that the neighbour knew everything about to have my cousin killed because he was new in Umlazi. We are angry and as a family we want to avenge his death but we want to do it through the law," said Khumalo.KZN Saps spokesperson Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed the incident. "Police are investigating a case of assault and murder of a young man who is alleged to have been assaulted and his body burnt alive by an angry community," she said.