In latest xenophobic attack A Zimbabwean was stoned and burnt to death in Diepsloot.
Elvis Nyathi was killed overnight by a violent mob which was hunting down foreigners in Johannesburg’s Diepsloot township as anti-immigrant activists escalate attacks.
Residents in the area accuse police of failing to tackle the high crime level.
His family claims the 44-year-old had just returned home when a group of people in his neighbourhood knocked on doors, demanding to see ID documents from residents. Nyathi then ran out of his shack, but the angry mob caught him and beat him up.
Distraught members of Nyathi’s family were seen on live television on Thursday morning, 7 April 2022, cleaning up his blood at the scene of his killing.
Wife Nomsa says people came banging on their door asking for their passports.
It is reported that prior to the incident the group had been moving from house to house claiming to be searching for criminals and demanding either passports or money. The deceased is said to have ran out of his house and the group gave chase, caught up with Sithole and killed him. The suspects evaded arrest after fleeing the scene”
The South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said they are only investigating five murders which were reported in Diepsloot and not seven. She clarifies that the murders “emanated from separate unrelated incidents and investigations are still underway to arrest the suspects.”
The SA Human Rights Commission expressed concern that vulnerable groups, especially foreign nationals, are targeted for the prevalence of social ills within community.