[DEBATE] : (Fwd) Dbn xenophobia (more)

[Patrick Bond]

The Mercury

Court sequel to 'foreigner' killings

January 13, 2009 Edition 1

Kamini Padayachee

A man alleged to have been involved in the murder of two foreign 
nationals in Durban appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Sean Thabo Jacobs, 24, of North West province, was arrested on Saturday 
night and charged with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder 
following the attack on foreign nationals at a building in Maude Mfusi 
(St George's) Street on January 5.

Police spokesman Supt Muzi Mngomezulu said at the time a mob of armed 
people had marched to a building where foreign nationals stayed.

"Twenty people, who we presume to be South Africans, were seen wielding 
bushknives and other weapons and entering a building called Africa 
House. There they forced three foreign nationals to jump from the windows."

One of the foreigners, Zimbabwean Victor Zowa, 24, died on impact. The 
second victim, Tanzanian national Said Omar, 22, died in hospital. The 
third man, Zimbabwean Eugene Madondo, 25, is recovering in hospital.

In court yesterday, slightly built Jacobs, dressed in a cream and white 
T-shirt and blue trousers, appeared anxious. He kept his head down 
throughout the proceedings and made furtive glances towards the public 
gallery.

Jacobs told the court he intended to apply for bail.

Prosecutor S Majola told the court the case had been extensively reported.

"The state is opposed to bail. His release could jeopardise the 
administration of justice. This case has been extensively reported in 
the media as it is a xenophobic-related incident."

Magistrate Thobeka Nom-vungu adjourned the case to February 2 for a 
formal bail application. Jacobs was re- manded to the Durban central 
police cells

kamini.padayachee at inl.co.za

***

Police say vigilante attacks not xenophobic

January 13, 2009 Edition 1

NTOKOZO MFUSI & WENDY JASSON DA COSTA

KWAZULU-NATAL police say last week's attacks on foreign nationals in 
Albert Park in Durban were not xenophobic but aimed at fighting crime.

The attacks led to the deaths of two foreigners. Another man is in a 
critical condition in hospital.

A vigilante mob carrying bushknives, sticks and other weapons entered 
Africa House, a shelter mostly for foreigners, and forced them to jump 
from the sixth floor of the building.

The police's director of communications, Phindile Radebe, said there 
were inaccuracies in the media's reports, and the intention of the 
attacks had been to confront "individuals responsible for criminal 
activities in the area".

She criticised the media, saying: "The media in general has deliberately 
portrayed these incidents as acts of xenophobia despite the fact that 
all indications were that the group were targeting criminals living in 
the said building, which is inhabited by both South Africans and 
foreigners."

The media had failed to report that the day before the attacks, the mob 
had allegedly confronted a South African in the building who was said to 
have stolen a cellphone.

"It is clear that the group's activities were not motivated by 
xenophobia but rather by vigilantism," she said.

In mentioning the alleged assault on the South African man, she was 
referring to the case concerning Albert Park councillor Vusi Khoza, who 
was arrested last week and now faces charges of assault and robbery.

She cautioned journalists against statements made in the media by those 
involved in the case, saying these people's statements had differed from 
those they had given to the police.

She said she was concerned that this would have a bearing in court, and 
therefore journalists should first check the facts with the police 
before publishing them.

"We want to appeal to those sectors of the media that are hell-bent on 
persisting with the notion that these incidents are xenophobic, to 
refrain from doing so."

Although the police insist that the attacks were more vigilantism than 
anything else, human rights organisations and some of the victims have 
said there is an element of xenophobia to them because, they say, the 
mob specifically said they were looking for "amakwerekwere", a 
derogatory term for foreigners.