PIENAAR – Thirteen people were arrested on Sunday after they went on a rampage, looting the shops of foreign nationals after the funeral of a young man who was killed last week by a suspected Somalian.
According to Col Leonard Hlathi, spokesman for the provincial police, police are still looking for the Somali suspect who allegedly shot and killed Mr Wellington Hendry Dube (20), a pupil of Mayibuye High School in Pienaar on February 25, which sparked the outrage.
The riot on Sunday started with pupils from schools in the area, dressed in their uniforms for the funeral. They are later joined by other members of the community. “They went on a rampage, looting the shops of foreign nationals,” Hlathi explained.
According to reports, shops were vandalised and roads blocked by students from different schools in Pienaar. Hlathi said four people were wounded by gunshots fired by unknown individuals during the violence that lasted into the night and saw foreigners flee the area.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Kabokweni Magistrates Court today on a charges of public violence. Bystanders on Sunday said the action was planned since the victim died and that initially the plan was to burn down all the businesses owned by foreigners. However, elders in the community talked them out of this, saying “not all foreigners were bad”.
The killing that sparked the riot, saw the victim, Dube, who was reportedly on his way to school when he met two of his friends outside the suspect’s shop at approximately 07:30, shot dead. The suspect allegedly came outside his shop and accused Dube of robbing his shop before beating him with his fists.
Bystanders reported that Dube took a knife from his pocket and the shop owner withdrew a pistol and fatally shot him. The suspect fled the scene before the police arrived.
Lt Gen Thulani Ntobela, provincial police commissioner, called on people to remain calm. “It goes without saying that the community might be outrageous about this incident. Nevertheless we are calling for peace and stability. Let us allow the law to take its course.”
Anyone with information about this the killing is requested to contact WO Andrew Thwala on 013-794-9397.
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