via Nyusi demands South Africa take measures against violence – The Zimbabwean 20 April 2015
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Monday demanded that the South African government take measures to staunch the wave of violence directed against foreign nationals.
Seven people, three of them Mozambicans, have died in the violence so far. The most recent victim, Emmanuel Sithole, was stabbed to death in Alexandria, just north of Johannesburg, on Saturday morning. A journalist from the South African “Sunday Times” photographed the murder of Sithole, and his images have shocked the world.
Speaking at a ceremony where he swore into office the deputy vice-chancellors of the Pedagogic and UniZambeze universities, Nyusi urged the South African authorities to ensure the immediate presence of the forces of law and order to protect foreign citizens
At the same time, “we restate our determination to continue caring for our victims and mitigating the suffering of our brothers”, he said.
“These sad and horrible acts shock our collective conscience as a nation”, declared Nyusi. “They show a total lack of respect for the value of human life”.
He also appealed to Mozambicans not to attempt to take revenge against South African citizens living and working in Mozambique. “We call for non-retaliation, a noble characteristic of Mozambicans”, Nyusi said.
The President was doubtless thinking of the attempts to expel South Africans from companies in Tete, Nampula and Inhambane provinces, which have led to the temporary evacuation of South African workers.
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