On  Monday, 24 January 2011 at about 11:00, the Police received a report of a murder and housebreaking at a house in the Smero area in the Plessislaer policing precinct outside Pietermaritzburg.

On arrival at the scene the Police found the body of an unidentified adult-male and a seriously injured adult-male (both believed to be in their early 20s), lying on the ground on the premises. Both sustained multiple injuries to their bodies, believed to be inflicted by sjamboks and sticks.  The injured person was taken to the Edendale Hospital in the Plessislaer area.

Initial investigations at the scene have established that at about 10:30, Mr Christopher Bafana Thusi (55) and his 27-year-old son was returning home from town, when he noticed that the window to his room was open. Upon alighting the vehicle, the two suspects climbed out of the window and ran towards an open field opposite the house. His 26-yeard-old son then shouted for assistance and gave chase after the suspects, a short while later he was joined by a group of approximately 15 community members. It is alleged that the enraged community members then apprehended both suspects and dragged them back to the premises where they began assaulting them with sticks and sjamboks, seriously wounding the one suspect and fatally wounding the other. 

The Police were then summoned.  It was established that the suspects ransacked the house and were in the process of removing the property when they were disturbed by the owner arriving at his house. They subsequently fled empty-handed. The injured suspect is believed to be in a serious condition in Hospital and under Police guard.

Police are making an urgent appeal to the community not to take the law into their own hands and to report crimes and allow for justice to take its course. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.