SA cops warn against attacks of foreigners

By Pamela Shumba

Police in South Africa have warned against mob attacks and killings against foreigners following attacks on suspected Zimbabweans that occurred in Thohoyandou and Makhado leaving one dead. Sources yesterday told The Chronicle that the suspected victims were Zimbabweans.

According to media reports in South Africa, provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba confirmed that two separate incidents of attacks against foreigners occurred in the two areas on Thursday last week.

Lt Gen Nneke condemned the continuous acts of mob attacks and killings which he said were still prevailing in some parts of Limpopo province.

“The first incident occurred in Tshino outside Thohoyandou where a group of community members cornered three suspected criminals along the street accusing them of being responsible for a spate of burglaries, house robberies as well as rapes in and around the area.

“They assaulted them with various objects, instantly killing one of them. The other two victims sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital for medical treatment,” said Lt Gen Nneke.

He said police in Thohoyandou had opened a case of murder, two counts of attempted murder and public violence.“Meanwhile, in the Waterval policing area outside Makhado, a group of community members in Njakanjaka village mobilised themselves complaining about alleged gangsters who are terrorising them by stealing their properties and breaking into their spaza shops for some time,” he said.

“Following this mobilisation, they started tracing the “gangsters”, apprehended one of them who is believed to be in his 20s and physically assaulted him with various objects and subsequently killed him instantly,” said Lt Gen Nneke, adding that the name of the deceased was still unknown.”

He urged members of the community to stop taking the law into their own hands and appealed to anyone with information about any suspected people involved in crime to call or visit the police rather than to engage in heinous acts which are uncalled for under any circumstances.

The suspects, according to the media reports in South Africa, are still unknown and no arrests have been made.

“They assaulted them with various objects, instantly killing one of them. The other two victims sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital for medical treatment”—The Chronicle