It was like an execution.
This is what the murder of Xiaoming ‘Steven’ Zhang, has been likened to. Last week Friday, Mr Zhang opened his factory, greeted his staff and started work as usual.
The day passed by as normal, but took a drastic turn when two armed men walked into the clothing factory and demanded money from Mr Zhang’s wife, Linda Wu.
“I held up my hands and started to give them what they wanted. Then Steven walked inside. He had his hands up and was helping them (the suspects) but they still shot him,” recalled Mrs Wu.
Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice cracked as she spoke about how her husband of 11 years was gunned down mercilessly in front of her. She believed Mr Zhang wanted to take the attention away from her when he approached the suspects.
“Mr Zhang was a good man. He cared about us. He would teach us and take us forward. He didn’t shout us. He respected everyone,” said Walata Selassie, one of Mr Zhang’s employees.
Many believed Mr Zhang understood the importance of respecting employees, because when he first arrived in South Africa 12 years ago, he started work as a line manager in a factory. He held this position for nine year, until he had raised enough money to open his own textile factory.
On Tuesday, a memorial themed “Unity and Love,” was held at Mr Zhang’s factory in Madadeni. Councillor Alex Liu addressed the hundreds who gathered on behalf of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
“We may come from different places – Madadeni, Newcastle, Durban, Johannesburg, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and different provinces – Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Fujian…but there won’t be any difference between us when crime strikes.”
He called for the community to unite and challenge the new Visa laws, xenophobic attacks, and amendments to the immigration acts, all of which were part of a sequence of actions that made foreign nationals feel unwelcome.
“We sense unfriendliness towards immigrants, from government to local communities. We hope the ideal of ‘Rainbow Nation’ by Mr. Mandela will be restored and law and order be reinstated in our society.”
The Chamber then called for the community to show love and support to the survivors and the family of Mr Zhang. Praying for harmony and peace, Cllr said this murder should remind every person to cherish their friends and family everyday.
The Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and industry of Greater Newcastle also released a statement about the murder. The statement touched on the chamber’s member’s sense of belonging to Newcastle, and how its members were also dedicated to fighting the unstable economy, high crime rates, increasing drug trade, and at the same time, were dedicated to the unification of people.
Among the organisations present at the memorial was the Tzu Chi Foundation, Newcastle Chinese Community and Police Co-operation Centre, Newcastle Clothing and Textile association, Newcastle Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), and Taoists from the Tzu Sheng Gong.
On Wednesday, a moment of silence was observed by Chinese and Taiwanese owned factories across town. According to the community, Mr Zhang’s story should encourage the community and young entrepreneurs.
Mr Zhang was a ‘self-made man’ and persevered through 12 years of hard work, respect and dedication.
“We don’t want to hinder the worker; we want to bring awareness of the crimes. We want his story to encourage workers,” concluded Cllr Liu.
