Abstract:
Introduction and background: Community-based assault is a phenomenon practiced
worldwide and it contributes to the rise in unnatural deaths due to violence.
Aim: The study aimed to profile fatal mob justice victim cases admitted at the Polokwane
Forensic Pathology Services Laboratory, Limpopo Province.
Method: A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study was conducted using sample
size of 141 community assault death victims that were selected using consecutive
sampling of community assault deaths admitted to Polokwane Forensic Pathology
Services laboratory over a period of 5 years.
Results: The study revealed that black male adults residing in townships suffered fatal
mob justice. The main causes of death included multiple injuries, head injuries and severe
soft tissue injuries.
Conclusion: The profile of community assault deaths identified was similar to that of
reviewed literature.
