Zim pair gunned down in South Africa
Two Zimbabweans are battling for their lives at a South African hospital after they were shot in Alexandra, Johannesburg, the same area where Emmanuel Sithole of Mozambique lost his life at the hands of marauding xenophobic hoodlums.
Zimbabwe’s Consul-General to South Africa Mr Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro confirmed the incident yesterday.
He identified the victims as Ms Proud Ncube (33) and Mr Innocent Sibanda (33).
The two were shot in their necks, while Ncube was also shot in the leg.
South African President Jacob Zuma is today expected to meet organisations representing foreigners.
In an interview from South Africa, President Zuma’s spokesperson Mr Marc Maharaj confirmed receiving reports of the shooting, but said the details were still sketchy.
“What I can say is that the President is deeply saddened by continued acts of violence and is scheduled to meet organisations representing foreign nationals today then the day after he will meet stakeholders to discuss immigration laws.
“We condemn all forms of violence and there is an intense anti-xenophobic campaign going on in the country,” said Mr Maharaj.
The shooting and the killing of a Mozambican national in the same area has forced South Africa to deploy soldiers to volatile areas in Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal.
Sithole was fatally stabbed by four South African men at the weekend.
The four have since been arrested and appeared in court yesterday for murder.
This comes as the body of one of the xenophobic victims killed in South Africa last week, arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday with burial set for today.
Mrs Naume Garusa (41) was decapitated and her body cut into pieces in South Africa last week.
The body parts were found near Killarney in Johannesburg.
Her son Brian said his mother will be buried today in Chikombedzi, Chiredzi.
Mrs Garusa’s body was identified by her AFM church Pastor Sibongile Kudita.
Pastor Kudita said Naomi’s body was cut into pieces and were stashed in refuse bags.
“Her face was screened and we could not see the whole body which had been reduced to pieces. The funeral parlour tried to put back the pieces together but failed,” she said.
She is believed to have been killed around 9am at her work place in Johannesburg. Mrs Garusa was reported missing and her body parts were later discovered near her workplace.
Gauteng police said they did not think she was a victim of xenophobic violence.
Police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini said: “We don’t think it (Garusa’s death) was related to the xenophobic violence. It looked like a planned killing – she was killed elsewhere, then her body was put in the plastic bag and dumped,” Dlamini said, confirming that police were investigating the motive for the murder.
Mr Maharaj dismissed reports that the South African government was not doing much in protecting lives of foreigners saying the army had since been deployed in Alexandra to assist police in maintaining peace and security.
At least seven people are reported to have been killed in the ongoing anti-immigrant violence.
Mr Mukonoweshuro commended the South African government for deploying soldiers in the country’s hot spots.
“We appreciate the efforts by our host to take decisive action to quell the continued attack on immigrants. We are hopeful that they will maintain law and order,” he said.
“They (the two Zimbabweans) were shot and injured by a mob of South Africans on Monday night and were rushed to Johannesburg Hospital and are in a stable condition. This incident and the murder of a Mozambican have resulted in the host government deploying soldiers to assist the police in the area in restoring order.”
Mr Mukonoweshuro said they were expecting to repatriate the second batch of Zimbabweans who were displaced during xenophobia attacks in Durban today (Wednesday).
The Home Affairs department will finalise the processes leading to the reparation of our people tomorrow (Wednesday) and we expect to start loading the buses in the afternoon. We are pushing hard and working extra hours to ensure that the whole process will be completed before Friday,” he said.
Over 360 Zimbabweans are still being kept at Phoenix Camp in Durban north pending their evacuation to Zimbabwe by road via Beitbridge Border post.
The first batch of the victims arrived in Beitbridge on Sunday evening in a convoy of six buses and a haulage truck hired by the Zimbabwean Government. The Herald
