South African police investigate murder amid rise in anti-migrant attacks
South African police are investigating the murder of a Zimbabwean migrant in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg. The killing is part of a wave of anti-migrant attacks across four provinces in recent weeks; human rights groups have reported at least nine deaths.
Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said on Tuesday that the killing in Diepsloot may be part of a coordinated series of attacks. Police have arrested three suspects, who will face murder and aggravated assault charges.
The South African Human Rights Commission has recorded at least 240 attacks in the past six weeks against migrants or those perceived as migrants across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces. Commission chair Chris Nissen said in a statement, « these incidents show how dangerously xenophobic rhetoric has escalated in local communities. » The government said the operation would meet such violence with « zero tolerance. »
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced that additional police would be deployed to affected areas Thursday and border controls tightened. Zimbabwe's government has filed a formal protest note with Pretoria seeking the protection of its nationals. Hundreds of migrants have left temporary shelters and are heading to border posts to return home.
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