Zimbabwean murdered in savage xenophobic attack
Mako Jerera
Elvis Nyathi, a 43-year-old Zimbabwean, was killed in a mob attack in Diepsloot, Gauteng, in South Africa.
Nyathi was killed on Wednesday night after a day of protest by locals who are accusing foreigners of taking their jobs.
Elvis Nyathi was a gardener working in South Africa.
He was stoned and burnt to death because he had no passport.
He left his wife and kids.
According to a neighbour Prince Mkhwebo, a small but angry group came knocking at the gate demanding to see the identity documents of the residents.
Nyathi, knowing well he had no papers, hid in the vicinity until the mob found him.
Soon his body lay beaten, stoned and set ablaze a few metres from his home.
The Economic Fredom Fighters (EFF) says it will visit the family of Diepsloot mob attack victim Elvis Nyathi and ensure that justice is served.
South Africa’s foreign affairs Minister Naledi Pandhor condemned the barbaric attack.
“What happened to Mr Elvis Nyathi is unacceptable,” said Minister Pandor.
The xenophobic attacks, led by Nhlanhla Lux of Operation Dudula a vigilante group have also received widespread condemnation from across South Africa’s political divide.
EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Tambo said:
“We send our deepest condolences to his beloved ones, who have been robbed in the most brutal manner of a father, a husband and a son. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.
“The painful images which are populating SA television screens today are the ashes of what was once a human being, who was burnt alive simply because he could not provide a passport to individuals who have taken the law into their own hands.”
The EFF has denounced people trying to enforce a “dompas” system in Johannesburg, campaigns which have resulted in harassment, invasion of property, theft, assault, extortion and now death.
“The EFF has long warned that if the various groups mushrooming on the anti-immigration ticket are not stopped, it will end in a loss of life. It is unfortunate that in this instance, we have been proven correct.
“These vigilante groups attribute all crimes in this country to foreign nationals, without any scientific or crime statistics to corroborate their claims. As a result, it has become a syndicate that extorts people, hijacks houses, loots African-owned retail outlets, burns the stores of Africans and today burns a human being to ashes.
“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 health care to foreign nationals,” the EFF charged.
“Domestic violence and abuse is perpetuated by the men of this country and the infiltration of drugs in our communities is enabled by South Africans themselves,” the EFF said.
Authorities in South Africa appear unready to confront the xenophobic sentiment which is brewing at the instigation of key political players.
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