Community members in Zithobeni beat to death the suspected murderer of a nine-year-old girl, police said on Monday.

Inspector Sanet Lourens said the community members found the suspect, Seuntjie Mahlangu, 31, at his shack in Langkloof, Verena, near Bronkhorstspruit on Sunday.

They killed him on suspicion that he had raped and killed the girl on Friday.

"The strange thing is that we cannot definitely link him with the murder yet. He was only killed on suspicion of killing her," said Lourens.

The community tried to set fire to the suspect, but failed. They burnt down his shack, however.

Lourens said the police were looking for Mahlangu since Friday, as he was the main suspect in the murder case. They were not able to find him, but the community caught up with him on Sunday afternoon.

"They threatened to kill his mother as they accused her of hiding him," said Lourens.

No one had been arrested for the killing of Mahlangu.

"Obviously no one saw anything," said Lourens.

The nine-year-old girl was found raped and murdered in her bed in Zithobeni on Friday.

Her body was found at around 7.45am on Friday in her room that she shared with her four-year-old brother.

The brother called for help from their grandmother who lived in the main house after he could not wake his sister. She broke down the door to get inside.

Lourens said it was not known how the girl was killed and a post mortem would be conducted on Monday.

Sapa

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