Five Mozambique nationals were killed in what the Mozambican government described as xenophobic attacks in South Africa over the weekend. These are the first deaths officially linked to protests against illegal immigration that have been sweeping the country.
Violence in Mossel Bay
According to a government statement, about 800 Mozambican nationals were caught up in violence that erupted in the southern coastal city of Mossel Bay on Friday. The unrest prompted 300 Mozambicans to return to their country by their own means on Saturday.
The statement read: 'Regrettably, seven Mozambican citizens have died, five of them as a direct consequence of the xenophobic attacks and the other two as a result of a road accident when they were travelling in a private vehicle on their way back to Mozambique.'
It added that the remaining 500 people affected 'have since been sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape province, and the process of their repatriation to Mozambique is already under way.'
Police Investigation
South African police said on Sunday they were investigating the deaths of two men at an informal settlement in Mossel Bay, a port town approximately 230 miles (380km) east of Cape Town. They did not provide details, and the nationalities of the two men were not immediately clear.
The area's mayor, Dirk Kotze, expressed 'deep concern and dismay at the current xenophobic attacks where people have been murdered, houses burned and families displaced.'
Other Fatal Incidents
In a separate incident, a 30-year-old Pakistani vegetable supplier, identified as Naeem Hassan, was fatally attacked on Monday, June 1 while trying to remove his truck from a yard in Vereeniging. He died at the scene. Authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the incident.
Similarly, a 40-year-old Bangladeshi businessman, Zumur Kormokar, was shot dead during an armed robbery at his shop in Nquutu, KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday. It was gathered that the suspects reportedly stole money and other items before fatally shooting Kormokar.
