This thug has learnt the hard way. He will never steal again!

The 27-year-old man from Dzingahe village, north of Thohoyandou, got more than what he bargained for when he was severely beaten, forced to eat raw meat, doused with dirty water and stripped naked by a mob in full view of the public after he was caught stealing meat from unsuspecting shoppers in Thohoyandou.

Cries of ‘Let’s beat him up’, ‘We are tired of crime’ and ‘He must be taught a lesson’ became the order of the day as the man cried for mercy. His pleas fell on deaf ears as more than 50 people continued beating him all over his body, without mercy. Although blood was oozing heavily from his nose and mouth, the beating continued while patrons of the local liquor outlet doused his body with cold beer.

The man and his friend were found in possession of a box of chicken, a box of chicken heads and feet, two chicken braai packs, beef and sausage (wors). He had allegedly stolen the items and hidden them under a tree, which serves as a storeroom. His friend received a light beating, because the mob regarded him as cooperative.

Like an unfolding Hollywood movie, the crowd tore off the man’s clothes and continued beating him while he was naked. He tried to cover his private parts with cardboard boxes, but the angry crowd removed them. "He will never steal again. We want to send a message to other would-be thieves that Thohoyandou is not a playing ground for thieves. He must go and look for a job if he wants to get money, not steal from our poor, hardworking community members who are trying to provide for their families," said a member of the mob, while beating the man with an iron bar.

The man’s life was rescued after the arrival of local police officers and paramedics. Police then restored order and the man was taken to hospital.

One of the victims, whose box of chicken was stolen, said: "I was about to board a taxi and I first put my luggage on the ground. He pretended that he wanted to help me but when I looked on the ground, I realized that my box of chicken was gone. I heard a big noise and when I rushed there, I found him being beaten and my box of chicken was among the stolen items. I am happy that mob justice has prevailed. He will never steal from us again."

Capt Mashudu Malelo said the man refused to open a case against his attackers and went home after receiving treatment at Tshilidzini Hospital. "We did not open a case against him because no victim came forward to complain about the theft of the meat."