‘Dismayed’ EFF to visit family of victim killed in Diepsloot mob attack

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it is dismayed and saddened over the news that a person was stoned and burnt to death in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, on Thursday.

The victim who lost his life during a mob attack in the early hours of the morning was identified as Elvis Nyathi.

This comes after protests by residents of Diepsloot who threatened to shut down the area, saying they have been terorrised by criminals amid a number of murders in the area.

They also complained about the lack of police visibility and service delivery.

Man killed in mob attack

“The EFF will visit the family of Elvis Nyathi and ensure that justice is served to the family,” a statement from the EFF read.

Despite the plea made by Minister of Police Bheki Cele for the residents to halt their protests until Friday, the group went door to door last night asking residents to produce identification cards.

The minister visited the residents at the Diepsloot police station on Wednesday afternoon to tell the protesters that the police will attend to their grievances on Friday.

Cele also said the Tactical Response Team (TRT) was going to be the deployed from Wednesday until the matters are resolved.

He said at least 30 members of the police’s TRT would remain in Diepsloot, while 16 police vehicles would be positioned at the local police station over the next 24 hours.

Despite this, the distraught wife of Nyathi told eNCA there was no police presence at the time he was killed.

She alleged that a group of people was demanding IDs and passports when her husband, who is allegedly a Zimbabwean national, ran away.

She explained that the group also accused Nyathi of having weapons on him before they chased him.

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