Government says Sithole was not a victim of xenophobia as it releases names of those killed

28 April 2015 - 17:53 By RDM News Wire

Government's Inter-Ministerial Committee to deal with violent attacks on foreign nationals has named the four foreign nationals and three South Africans who died during the weeks of violence. Minister in the office of the presidency‚ Jeff Radebe‚ said that the Mozambican national Emmanuel Jossias‚ (Emmanuel Sithole)‚ who was pictured being stabbed to death on the front page of the Sunday Times‚ was the victim of "an act of criminality" and not a xenophobic attack.Sithole was attacked and killed in Alexandra‚ north of Johannesburg. The attackers have been arrested and are still in custody. This follows president Jacob Zuma's speech on 27 April in which he said Sithole was using a fake name. Zuma said Sithole was in the country illegally and his real name was Emmanuel Josias.According to a report, David Mahlobo, state security minister said despite Sithole's killers not taking his wallet and cellphone - the state did not believe it was an anti-immigrant related incident. Government gave the names as follows:• Marcus Natas‚ an Ethiopian national who was petrol bombed in Umlazi near Durban.• A Zimbabwean national‚ known only as Muvo‚ who was attacked by a mob in Chatsworth‚ near Durban.• Dava Sabastio‚ a Mozambican national‚ was attacked by a mob in Verulam‚ Durban.• Shaofic Shaof Ul Alam‚ a Bangladeshi‚ was shot in Plessislaer‚ Pietermaritzburg.• South Africans Thabo Owen Mzobe‚ Ayanda Dlamini and Petros Dlamini‚ all from Durban‚ also died.Mzobe was shot in Ntuzuma‚ while Ayanda Dlamini was shot in Bekhithemba in Umlazi and Petros Dlamini was killed in Chatsworth. - RDM News Wire..

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