Police probe GBV and mob justice after viral Bloemfontein attack [VIDEOS]

· Citizen

Videos of a gender-based violence (GBV) incident in Bloemfontein, Free State, have gone viral, showing a student being attacked by a man and triggering mob justice and clashes with police.

Visit h-doctor.club for more information.

The videos have emerged amid heightened concern over gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa, following the murders of nine women in Ekurhuleni that sparked public outrage, protests and calls for urgent police and government intervention.

Viral videos show a woman attacked by a man

The initial video shows a young woman in a pink dress walking down the street when a man approaches and intercepts her.

The man then appears to have touched the woman, grabbed her arm as she tried to pull away, and caused her to fall.

Onlookers shouted at the man as he towered over the frightened woman.

A group of people, mostly men, then walked toward the man, chased him away, and helped the victim up as she cried.

Man allegedly assaulted by crowd

A second video shows the man lying on the ground as a crowd of men allegedly assaults him.

A third video shows the man sitting on the ground while women reprimand him for harassing the victim and tell him to leave before someone kills him.

A fourth video shows a group of young people running from the police at a police station.

Parkweg police provided context for the incident and confirmed they were investigating multiple offences linked to the video.

The South African Police Service (Saps) gave details about where the incidents happened. They said it was between King Edward Street, President Boshof Street and Park Road, Willows in Bloemfontein, at about 4:20 pm.

An unknown man attacked the woman as she walked along King Edward Street.

“It is alleged that the male approached the lady asking for contact numbers. The complainant was not interested in the conversation, but the male started being inappropriate towards her, touching and holding the victim,” Saps spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane said.

Mob justice and police clashes

Covane added that the victim’s friend sought police intervention.

During the same period, a celebration was happening at a nearby car wash. Community members witnessed the man’s advances and attack on the victim.

“The community members who witnessed the advances and scuffle between the victim and the male got hold of the suspect and started meting out street justice,” Covane said regarding the second and third videos.

When the police arrived, the officers only saw mob justice happen, removed the suspects from the scene and retreated with him to the police station.

The Saps provided context for the fourth video, saying officers took the attacker away. After that, angry community members, calling for the suspect’s blood, allegedly became violent towards the police.

They allegedly threw bricks at police vehicles, assaulted some officers, and threw objects at passing vehicles.

27-year-old woman opened a sexual assault case

Covane said the victim, 27, opened a case of sexual assault and attempted robbery.

The 30-year-old suspect was scheduled to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Friday.

The last case docket opened was for contravention of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000. The charge was failure to keep a firearm safe in a prescribed manner, against the male suspect.

Read full story at source