South Africa: Zimbabwean Woman Burnt Alive near Pretoria

A Zimbabwean woman wrongly accused of killing a young boy has been lynched by an angry mob in a shanty town near the South African capital, Pretoria.

The woman was burnt alive while another man, also from Zimbabwe, managed to escape after police intervened, officials said Tuesday.

"The woman died when she was burnt alive by a mob [while] the man was rescued by police and taken to hospital," local police spokeswoman Katlego Mogale told AFP.

"He was discharged Monday night," she added.

The incident took place Friday near Pretoria after several days of tensions, sparked by the death of an eight-year-old boy.

The Zimbabwean pair had been accused of killing him through witchcraft. A probe revealed that the boy had been electrocuted.

Three people arrested over the woman's murder currently only face charges of public violence because "there were 500 people and more evidence is needed" to accuse the trio of lynching the victim, Mogale said.

Police reinforcements were sent to Laudium after an angry crowd attacked the local police station Sunday night, demanding the release of the three suspects.