South Africa: No Evidence Linking Klerksdorp Attempted Hijacking To Zimbabweans - Fact Check
Fact Check has said there is no evidence in a video posted on Twitter on 20 July 2022 which shows a man next to a vehicle fighting off what seems to be three hijackers suggesting that the assailants were Zimbabweans.
The video was captioned, “This country is really getting out of control, “Zimbabweans #tembisa.” A voice in the video can be heard swearing in disbelief and saying “Klerksdorp guys never cease to …” before trailing off into more swearwords. Watch the video below for more:
Tembisa is a large township in the east of South Africa’s Gauteng province. Zimbabwe is one of South Africa’s northern neighbours.
Klerksdorp is the largest city in South Africa’s North West province, about 213 kilometres southwest of Tembisa by road.
HOT DEALS:
itel A70 - (128GB, 3GB RAM) $89,
itel A70 - (256GB, 4GB RAM) $99
itel P40 (128GB, 4GB), (6000mAh) $99
itel P40 (64GB, 4G), (6000mAh) $93
Cash on Delivery in Harare & Bulawayo. Tinotumira kwamuri inosvika.
WhatsApp: 0783 450 793
Fact Check, a non-profit organisation set up in 2012 to promote accuracy in public debate and the media in Africa, says the video also appears in a blog post headlined: “4 Zimbabweans Met Their Match In Klerksdorp; White Man Fights Off Highjacking With Big Knife”.
So does it show an attempted hijacking in Tembisa, or in Klerksdorp? And more importantly, were the hijackers from Zimbabwe?
eNCA reported that the incident did take place in Klerksdorp, and not Tembisa. Police said the victim had refused to open a case docket.
Thato Ledimo, the woman who shot the video and whose voice can be heard, told TimesLive that the attack took place at just after 9 am “opposite the home affairs offices in the Klerksdorp CBD”.
There is no clear evidence that the three attackers in the video are from Zimbabwe.
The video comes when sentiment against and attacks on Zimbabweans and other foreigners has been a pressing problem in South Africa for many years.
