A South African mob chased and killed an unnamed young Zimbabwean immigrant in Soweto after allegedly stoning and setting him alight on Wednesday night, police said on Thursday.
South African police spokesperson Brenda Muridili confirmed what she called “an incident of mob justice.”
“Reports that we’re getting from witnesses is that there’s a small group of people that went from door to door and then when they got to this house, this young man just ran out of the house and they chased him – and, unfortunately, he was killed,” she said.
The mob attack happened in Johannesburg’s Diepsloot township as residents chased the immigrant who tried to run away from members of Operation Dudula – the anti-immigrant vigilant group – as they moved door-to-door looking for undocumented immigrants, she said.
Tension in Diepsloot spilled onto the streets on Wednesday night, with residents saying they were tired of crime in the area which has seen seven people killed in one week, the spokesperson added.
Failing to tackle the high crime levels in the area, the Soweto residents have resorted to blaming crime and violence on the undocumented foreign nationals.
Some 24 undocumented immigrants, mostly Zimbabweans, have been arrested in the area, according to the police.
NM/jn/APA