‘ANC, Zanu-PF leadership responsible for gruesome murder of Elvis Nyathi’
Elvis Nyathi, a Zimbabwean man who was brutally attacked and whose body was set alight in Diepsloot, a suburb of Johannesburg, on Wednesday night, had been in economic exile in South Africa.
South African opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) believes the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party sponsored the vigilante groups.
On Thursday, the world woke up to horrific images of a pile of ashes, the remains of Nyathi who was killed for not having a passport.
His distraught widow Nomsa Tshuma said people came banging on their door asking for their passports before they tied him, assaulted him and set him on fire.
Authorities in Zimbabwe have not yet issued a statement two days after the incident.
But the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) accuses the Zanu-PF administration of economic mismanagement which has led to millions of Zimbabweans fleeing to South Africa seeking greener pastures.
“The Citizens’ Coalition for Change strongly condemns the murder of Elvis Nyathi who was stoned and burnt to death in Diepsloot, Johannesburg earlier today. We extend our sincere condolences to Mrs Nyathi and the entire family of Elvis Nyathi who were tragically robbed of a husband, father, friend and loved one,” the CCC said.
“His murder was avoidable, horrific and Nyathi was a Zimbabwean citizen who was a victim of the forced migration crisis caused by the bad governance of Zanu PF.
“Having settled in South Africa to seek a better life, he has become the tragic victim of the indiscriminate door-to-door raids by a vigilante group that targets African foreign nationals outside the confines of the law and without due process.
“There is no room for a barbaric murder of this nature in a constitutional democracy.
The opposition party called for the “immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators to ensure that justice is done.
“The death of Elvis Nyathi is a stark reminder that Zanu PF has failed the citizens of Zimbabwe. Citizens like Elvis Nyathi have been forced out of Zimbabwe because of man-made poverty, injustice and corruption.
“No Zimbabwean should lose their life because they have been driven out of the country by failed leadership. The regime in Harare has failed in its obligation to serve and protect citizens at home and abroad.”
“We further call for the de-escalation of the anti-immigrant rhetoric by public figures and shadowy groups who are fomenting the abuse, extortion and violence against African nationals,” CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said.
The opposition EFF in South Africa also condemned the xenophobic attack on a fellow African and accused the ruling ANC of sponsoring the vigilante groups.
“These are the consequences of endorsing and sponsoring vigilante groups by popular media and the ruling party itself, which seeks to scapegoat its inability to fight crime, create jobs and provide adequate healthcare to foreign nationals.
“It is an objective fact that the hospitals of South Africa are collapsing because of a government that has no internal capacity to develop and maintain healthcare infrastructure,” EFF said. Nehanda Radio
