On Wednesday night, 43-year-old Zimbabwean, Elvis Nyathi, was killed in a mob attack in Diepsloot, Gauteng.
The attack followed a day of protesting from hundreds of residents against crime and poor policing of immigration laws.
A tragic and brutal death
One of Nyathi’s neighbours and childhood friend, Prince Mkhwebo, told TimesLive that a “small but angry” mob came knocking at the gate of their area. They were demanding to see the residents’ ID documents.
And because Nyathi didn’t have any papers, he immediately went to go hide. But sadly, the mob found him and thought he was also hiding a gun, so they started beating him.
“They said he was running away so he must have a gun or something. They found him, started beating him and took him away to kill him,” Mkhwebo says.
It was further reported that the group dragged Nyathi about 20m from his home and set his body alight.
Mkwebo, who like many is visibly shaken, expresses his fear.
“I’m feeling very scared to be here, I can’t trust this place. I think they’ll come again today,” he says.
Nyathi was a husband, father and brother
Nyathi leaves his wife, who was lucky enough to escape with her life after showing her ID, and four children. All four children are reportedly still in Zimbabwe.
He worked as a gardener in Fourways and was a “very good person”. His brother, Godknows Nyathi, also expressed how “confused” he was now that his brother has died in such a horrific manner.
“He wasn’t a violent man, he was a very good person,” he says.
SAPS begs that Diepsloot attacks come to an end
Police Minister Bheki Cele and Gauteng Premier David Makhura visited Diepsloot for three days in a row to engage with community members regarding the recent crime-related protests.
“We can’t have people who are moving door to door saying they are identifying the illegal foreign nationals; it is not the job of anybody to do that except the law enforcement agencies,” Makhura said.
“Once anyone is allowed to do that, innocent people are going to be killed. Even if someone is in South Africa illegally, they cannot be killed, the law enforcement agencies have a responsibility, Home Affairs and that work is being done at a great pace in our country.”
No arrests have yet been made in connection to the murder of Elvis Nyathi.