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Big rocks and other objects obstructed several streets in Thohoyandou.

Xeno war?

 

A tribal war has broken out in Thohoyandou between Zimbabweans and the locals, mostly Vhavenda speaking people, and local residents have vowed “to clean the town of Zimbabweans.”

The locals allege that the Zimbabweans are to blame for the rising crime in the town and areas around the town.

The latest incident happened on Monday when Zimbabwean citizens allegedly attacked a local man with different weapons. According to unconfirmed reports, the man died in the attack.

On Tuesday, after a meeting by concerned hawkers in Thohoyandou, angry residents decided to go out hunting for Zimbabweans in town. Thohoyandou came to a standstill, with all businesses closing down when angry groups of people protested about the alleged killing of a local vendor.

Enraged and concerned vendors moved from the plaza and went through the whole town looking for Zimbabweans. During the hunt, the town’s streets were left littered and large dustbins blocked the traffic. Big rocks and steel blocked most of the town’s streets and motorists had to move around rocks and other objects to pass.

Many of the Zimbabweans who were found and identified met the full wrath of the angry crowd. This paper witnessed one attack where a foreign national was attacked with an assortment of weapons. He was badly injured during the attack.

A Nigerian man who attacked one of the protestors had to run for dear life after the mob started calling for his blood. Police had to man the entrance of his shop, but the man’s car tyres were slashed. “We are tired of being kept captive in the land of our birth. We give shelter and a place to work to these people, but now they are taking advantage of us. There are so many rapes, robberies and vicious attacks on our people by these foreigners, we are tired of this criminality as police are also doing nothing to stop it,” said an angry protestor.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson, const. Avhafarei Tshiovhe confirmed that there was an injured Zimbabwean, but said that they did not have any record of murder committed in the area as alleged by the community.

“The situation is under control and we are monitoring it. We arrested one person in connection with the attack of the Zimbabwean. He will appear in court soon,” she said.

Police guarding the shop of a Nigerian businessman, after he was accused of attacking a protester.

The message is clear - Zimbabweans are no longer welcome in Thohoyandou.

A vehicle belonging to a Nigerian businessman had it tyres slashed, after he was accused of provoking protesters.

Police had their hands full throughout the day, as they battled to control the angry protesters.

There was garbage everywhere in Thohoyandou after protesters thrashed the town during their hunt for Zimbabweans.

A badly injured Zimbabwean was saved from the angry crowd by the timely arrival of the police.

 

Date:13 February 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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