Twelve arrested after shepherd allegedly beaten to death over lamb in Mashaeng

Police have arrested 12 people after a foreign national shepherd was found dead with multiple injuries at the Mashaeng Commonage near Fouriesburg, authorities said.

What police found at the scene

Officers attended a murder scene on Thursday and found a man lying dead with multiple bruises to his upper body and injuries to his eyes, police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said.

Preliminary investigations identified the man as a foreign national shepherd who had been accused of stealing a lamb. Police said it was alleged the shepherd slaughtered the lamb near a local dam and threw some of the carcass into the water.

“Only the head and legs were subsequently found,” Mophiring said.

Arrests and charges

Police said their investigation initially led to the arrest of a suspect found in possession of a cellphone belonging to the dead man. Further investigation resulted in the arrest of 11 additional suspects, bringing the total to 12, aged between 24 and 59, who have been charged with murder.

Ten of the suspects are foreign nationals and two are South African nationals from Mashaeng township near Fouriesburg, police said.

Officials condemn mob justice

Free State Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thabang Lesia welcomed the arrests and condemned what police described as alleged mob justice.

“People suspected of committing crimes must be handed over to the police to allow proper investigations to take place,” Lesia said. “Taking the law into your own hands is not a solution to crime.”

Next steps

The 12 suspects are expected to appear before the Fouriesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where they are expected to face murder charges. The SAPS urged community members to report suspected criminal activity and to allow law enforcement agencies to investigate alleged offenders.