The Zimbabwe Community in South Africa has welcomed the arrest of seven men in South Africa suspected to have been involved in the murder of Zimbabwean national Elvis Nyathi.
Nyathi was beaten up, stoned and then set on fire by an anti-immigration mob in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg in South Africa. He has since been buried in Bulawayo.
Read: https://cite.org.zw/elvis-nyathi-suspected-killers-appear-in-court/
On Tuesday, seven men appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in South Africa, in connection with Nyathi’s murder and are facing charges to do with murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and extortion.
The seven suspects will remain in custody until April 22, 2022, for them to acquire legal representation.
Initially, 14 suspects were arrested but seven were released after police did not find conclusive evidence on their involvement.
In an interview with CITE, Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa, Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena said the arrests were a positive step in delivering justice to Nyathi’s family.
“Though the arrest of the suspects said to be involved in the murder of Nyathi will not bring him to life, we welcome the development. We continue to push for justice for Nyathi’s family so we welcome the arrests that have been made so far,” he said.
Mabhena noted the organisation would follow this case closely to make sure it reached its end.
“If indeed it is proven beyond any reasonable doubt that these suspects are indeed Nyathi’s killers, they should spend the rest of their lives in prison. We will make a follow up monitoring what is happening in respect to this case,” said the chairperson.
Meanwhile, Mabhena said the current situation in Diepsloot was calm as they were having engagements with the community, as an attempt to calm down tempers.
“We are talking to people there and the situation is calm,” he noted, adding the organisation would be holding a meeting at the end of May with various stakeholders on the migration crisis between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“We will invite a number of organisations, political parties and civic organisations to discuss the issues of migration, its impact in South Africa, the abuse of Zimbabweans in certain communities, the involvement of some Zimbabwe in criminal activities. We hope to come up with a roadmap that will assist us in isolating criminal elements in our communities.”
Also Read: https://cite.org.zw/zim-and-sa-should-build-on-historical-ties-to-defeat-xenophobia%ef%bf%bc/
