Zimpapers Logo

South African mob in a repressive action targeting foreigners they accuse of fuelling criminal activities in the area.
The incident occurred in Seshego suburb, a few kilometres northwest of Polokwane City in Limpopo Province.

Police sources said the incident occurred at around 8pm at Section 75 in Seshego.
The man’s body was conveyed to Polokwane Government Hospital mortuary while police are still making efforts to contact his relatives.

ANC Limpopo spokesperson, Mr David Masondo, said they learnt the news of the killing with “shock and utter disgust” and demanded that justice be served. “These violent acts are completely unacceptable because they are incompatible with a democratic South Africa.

“The allegation that the Zimbabwean killed two South Africans during robbery is not a justification for South Africans to take the law into their hands,” he said.
The Young Communist League of South Africa said the community took the law into their own hands, “when they should be allowing police and the courts to do this”.
YCLSA spokesperson, Mafika Mndebele, said police should protect “all our people”, irrespective of what allegations were levelled against them.

“We further call on our people to realise that we are all human beings, we are all Africans and that irrespective of our nationality, no one’s life is cheaper . . . Xenophobia must be fought just as apartheid (was, as) another form of hatred,” Mndebele said.

On Tuesday, Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, confirmed the incident, saying they were yet to make any arrests.
He said they were appealing to anyone with information to report to the nearest police station.

Brigadier Mulaudzi said: “Preliminary investigations show that the mob was accusing foreign nationals there (Seshego) of fuelling criminal activities in the neighbourhood. The group of people went about intimidating the foreign nationals and unfortunately, there was a Zimbabwean whom they cornered. They assaulted him before they stoned him to death. Some of the victims had their houses vandalised and their belongings thrown out.

“A report was in turn made by some concerned residents, leading to the deployment of the public order unit which managed to disperse most of these groups.
“The officers are still deployed in the area until further notice. We are still carrying out investigations and we hope to account for the assailants soon. These irresponsible people wanted to cause mayhem, but the situation has calmed down now.”

The incident comes a few months after seven other Zimbabwean men were fatally assaulted with metal bars by a mob in the Western Bank area of the same city. The mob accused them of fuelling housebreaking cases in the suburb.
Twelve suspects were picked up a week later by police in connection with the matter.