Africa-Press – South-Africa. A suspected copper thief got the surprise of his life when a group of pensioners ended up restraining him before he was whipped repeatedly by a 71-year-old granny.
A video of a night gown-clad Anna Griffiths caning the man with a rubber whip on his bum, back and arms on the grounds of the Nick Claassen municipal retirement cottages in Kariega, the Eastern Cape, had since gone viral.
The youngster, restrained with cable ties and lying face down on the lawn, can be seen tossing and turning as Griffiths unleashes blows all over his body in front of security guards and residents of the retirement village.
The beating, which ended when a guard stopped Griffiths, lasted for 45 seconds. He was hit about 42 times.
News24 understands the suspect was spotted first by an elderly woman who was smoking on her porch and immediately called Atlas Security.
The call led to an immediate reaction and subsequent apprehension of the suspect.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the incident was not reported to the police.
Atlas Security spokesperson Ryan Morris could not immediately respond to questions from News24, and his response will be added once received.
He, however, confirmed to Herald Live their armed response officers responded to the incident.
“We don’t condone the assault of the suspect and there is an internal investigation currently underway,” Morris told the publication.
Called for comment, Griffiths said: “It’s not good enough to just put them in jail. They must get a proper beating.”
She added she reacted angrily because she hated crime, and it caused damage across the country.
“The reason why South Africa is in this s— is because of these people destroying crucial infrastructure, stealing copper wiring and copper pipes,” Griffiths said.
She added crime was extremely high in the area with residents under siege from vandals and criminals.
“They steal the copper taps and leave water gushing out. Next thing, there is no water in addition to load shedding.”
Last year, the Eastern Cape Department of Community Safety revealed a spike in cases of vandalism of essential infrastructure in the Nelson Mandela Bay region, which incorporates Kariega.
It said 748 cases were reported to the police in Nelson Mandela Bay while Buffalo City recorded 484.
The destruction of essential infrastructure includes the theft of cables and the vandalism of public facilities such as schools, water distribution equipment, electricity substations and sewerage works.
The department said policing areas that have been hit the hardest in Nelson Mandela Bay were Swartkops, Kariega, Mount Road, Kamesh and Algoa Park.
While in Buffalo City, the affected areas include East London, Cambridge, Zwelitsha, Mdantsane and Ndevana.
According to the DA in the Eastern Cape, on a national level, infrastructure vandalism had resulted in R7 billion worth of damage to Transnet, Telkom, and Eskom.
The party estimated the ensuing costs to the economy were R187 billion annually.
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