The man was reportedly dragged into the street and beaten to death by a large group of people, while the 7-year-old girl and her mother were at the Motherwell Health Centre for examination.
In a statement by Police spokesperson Capt Andre Beetge, he said after the examination it was revealed that the child had not been raped‚ molested or sexually assaulted.
“The 36-year-old father of the seven-year-old girl handed himself over to police yesterday [Tuesday] claiming that he approached Mr. Fundakubi at his house and that he assaulted Mr. Fundakubi in the street while being joined by other persons‚” Beetge said on Wednesday.
“He was arrested and charged for the murder while police are continuing to identify and search for the accomplices.”
He also added that a manhunt was launched to identify people who took part in the assault.
Motherwell police cluster commander‚ Maj-Gen Dawie Rabie‚ said vigilantism would not be tolerated. “An innocent man was killed by the community – based on a rumour which they did not even try to verify.
“We are urging our communities to give information about suspected crimes to the police and not to take the law into their own hands. I am urging our community to identify these killers in order for the law to be enforced so these murderers to be brought before court.”
