Mob attacks Paje headman

Serowe police have arrested 39 residents of Paje village for rioting after the lives of two men of the same village nearly came to an untimely end at their hands. According to no.2 district officer commanding senior superintendent Paul Oketsang, yesterday,13 January around 5:30pm they received a report that a mob was beating an individual who managed to run to Botswana Defence Force camp where he was sheltered until the police arrived at the scene. The mob then proceeded to another residence of village headman where they continued their destruction by vandalizing his property. Fearing for his life from the murderous mob and in self defence the chief managed to injure 4 members of the mob and he was able to escape unharmed. Although the officer commanding could not divulge the method of defence because he said the investigations are still ongoing, witnesses said there were gun shots fired. Senior superintendent Oketsang said the two men met the wrath of the mob after a man who went missing on 13 of December last year was discovered hanging from a tree and the mob implicated the duo to be involved in killing the deceased. He said the police have no idea what prompted the accusations levelled against the two men. However he said investigations are still ongoing. The four injured people who were part of the mob are still in hospital while one of the victims of mob justice was treated and released the same day. He further advised people to desist from taking the law into their own hand. Oketsang warned that taking part in a riot is punishable by law because if convicted one could face 5 years in prison and if during the riot buildings are destroyed one could face life in prison.