Police: Vuvuzelas used to raise theft alarm, 3 suspects killed in South Africa mob attack

Vuvuzelas raise theft alarm in S.Africa, 3 killed

JOHANNESBURG — Police say vigilantes used whistles and vuvuzelas, the deafening horns used by fans during the World Cup, to arouse a mob early Wednesday to assault and kill three suspected thieves in their neighborhood.

Police official Mpande Khoza says three men were burnt to death in their truck after being assaulted by a mob who came to the scene “from all angles.” He says they were called out of their homes by a vigilante patrol using vuvuzelas.

The victims were suspected of stealing power cables in the Lenasia district of southern Johannesburg. The area is plagued by power outages blamed on equipment theft.

Police say three other men, allegedly seen with a gun and bolt cutters, escaped the mob attack.