They stand accused of leading a mob attack in which a group of seven young men suspected of being behind petty crimes in the community were stoned to death and their bodies subsequently set alight.
A community leader in the township said that vigilantism, such as the situation with the Diepsloot Five where seven people were killed, might become the order of the day if police didn’t curb the high levels of crime.
The Diepsloot Five, as they have now been dubbed, appeared at the Randburg Magistrates Court on Wednesday, where they each face seven counts of murder. It’s alleged that they stoned to death seven young men and then torched their bodies on 1 December.