Township violence claims another victim

Graeme Hosken

More than 20 foreign-owned shops were burnt or looted in clashes that broke out on Saturday. File photo Image by: Brian Witbooi/The Herald

A man was killed in Mamelodi East, outside Pretoria, as clashes between Somali businessmen and local residents continued last night.

Violence flared up again yesterday following clashes between residents and foreign shop-owners at the weekend.

Police spokesman Colonel Noxolo Kweza confirmed the killing last night.

“At this stage the identity of the [victim] is not known. The situation is volatile. Police have saturated the area with patrols.

“No one as yet has been arrested for the killing,” Kweza said.

More than 20 foreign-owned shops were burnt or looted in clashes that broke out on Saturday.

Last night’s killing brought to three the number of fatalities since the clashes erupted.

The names of the victims have not yet been released.

The weekend violence broke out after a Somali businessman opened fire following an attempted robbery at his shop.

Ibrahim Shuriye, a representative of the Somali community in South Africa, said dozens of Somali-owned shops had been looted since the weekend.

“People are terrified. Somali businessmen are fleeing the area. Many have lost everything they own.

“No one seems to be able to stop this, with people now being killed,” he said.

Source: TimesLive

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