A man handed himself over to police on Wednesday after a motorist was beaten to death in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, Gauteng police said.

The arrested man, aged 26, was expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Friday, Warrant Officer Daniel Mavimbela said.

The man allegedly stoned and beat the driver of a light delivery truck to death when he knocked down a woman and her grandchild on Sunday, the Daily Sun reported on Tuesday.

The truck struck Zukiswa Alarm (42) and her four-year-old granddaughter from behind as they were walking in Sapphire Street.

The driver tried to flee the scene. But two local residents dragged him out of his vehicle, hit him with stones, beat and kicked him.

"They kicked him like he was a soccer ball and jumped on him as if he was a jumping castle," an unnamed resident was quoted as saying.

Police arrived as the man was allegedly about to set the driver alight. The van's front windscreen was shattered and the vehicle was stripped.

Relatives told the Daily Sun the woman suffered serious injuries to her head and back, and the girl to her hand.

Mavimbela said the 51-year-old driver was taken to Thembisa Hospital, where he later died.

The arrested man would face charges of murder and malicious damage to property. Police were still searching for his alleged accomplice.