ZAPU has condemned the murder of a Zimbabwean man in Diepsloot, North of Johannesburg by a xenophobic South African mob hunting foreigners residing in the area.
Elvis Nyathi was burnt to death Wednesday night after the mob went on a rampage banging on foreigners’ homes demanding their passports.
Zapu spokesperson Msongelwa Ndlovu said his party is deeply concerned by violence targeting foreign nationals in what has been termed Operation Dudula.
“While we acknowledge the frustrations of the generality of South Africans owing to diminishing socio-economic opportunities, we deplore those few who are resorting to vigilantism to hound fellow Africans and in some cases, as evidenced in Diepsloot, killing them,” said Ndlovu.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the murder of Nyathi by vigilantes who are taking the law into their own hands. We call upon the South African justice system to quickly bring the perpetrators to book and account for this heinous act of brutality.”
The Zapu spokesperson blamed the Zanu PF led government for exposing its nationals to abuse and violence in foreign countries by running down the country through corruption and mismanagement.
“Zimbabweans are scattered all over the world due to the incompetence, corruption and brutality of the Zanu PF regime led by Emmerson Mnangagwa. Those of our people who managed to escape the rogue regime are now being hunted like prey in foreign lands.
“As we mourn the death of Nyathi who was burnt to ashes by fellow Africans, we are reminded of the genesis of this immigration crisis,” said Ndlovu.
“We call upon the AU and SADC to help Zimbabweans by guaranteeing a free and fair election in 2023 so that we can elect a government of our choice without the manipulation of electoral processes by the incumbent government. We implore SADC and AU to quickly set up a task team to facilitate the necessary electoral and media reforms for 2023,” said Ndlovu.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Zimbabwe president Innocent Ndibali also deplored Nyathi’s murder.
“As a pan African party, we are on record calling for the formation of a unitary Africa with one people. What some South Africans do not seem to appreciate is that these so called borders were created by the whites to rule and divide us,” Ndibali.
The EFF president said what disheartening is that whites in South Africa are treated as angels while blacks are abused, denigrated and even murdered like what happened to our fellow Zimbabwean Elvis Nyathi,” said Ndibali.
Operation Dudula is an initiative by South African locals seeking to flush out foreign nationals whom they blame for taking their jobs, peddling drugs and increasing the country’s crime rate.