The Mozambican government says at least five of its citizens have been killed in “xenophobic attacks” in South Africa over the weekend. These are the first deaths officially linked to nationwide protests against undocumented immigration.
In a statement released on Tuesday, 2 June, the government said about 800 Mozambicans were caught up in violence that broke out in the southern coastal city of Mossel Bay on Friday.
“Regrettably, seven Mozambican citizens have died, five of them as a direct consequence of the xenophobic attacks and the other two as a result of a road accident, when they were travelling in a private vehicle on their way back to Mozambique,” the statement said.
About 300 Mozambicans returned home on Saturday following the violence, according to the statement.
“The remaining just over 500 have since been sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape Province, and as of today, 1 June, the process of their repatriation to Mozambique is already underway,” it said.
South African police said on Sunday they were investigating the deaths of two men at an informal settlement in Mossel Bay, a port town about 380km (236 miles) east of Cape Town, where xenophobic attacks had been reported.
They did not say whether the deaths were linked to the protests. It was not immediately clear what nationality the two men were.
The mayor of the area, Dirk Kotze, expressed “deep concern and dismay at the current xenophobic attacks where people have been murdered, houses burned, and families displaced”.
The region has seen anti-migrant protests similar to those reported in Johannesburg, Durban and parts of Eastern Cape province in recent weeks.
More: Al Jazeera
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