IN WHAT could be construed to be another form of xenophobic attacks in Limpopo, a number of shops belonging to Pakistanis in the Modimolle area were broken into and looted by angry community members.
The incident happened yesterday at about 2am, barely two days after another Pakistani appeared in the Modimolle Magistrate's Court for murder.
The man, Faisel Mohamed, 25, was arrested last Thursday in connection with the killing of Lerato Thlwaela, 20, who was found dead on the side of the road on the R101 between Mokgophong and Modimolle.
Police said the woman's legs were broken and on investigation the Pakistani, who was Thlwaela's boyfriend, was arrested.
Limpopo police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Mohamed was linked to the murder and that the circumstances that led to incident were still being investigated.
Mohamed appeared in the Modimolle Magistrate's Court for murder last Friday and was remanded in custody. The case was postponed to Thursday, when he will apply for bail.
Ledwaba said yesterday the police were called to the scene after a number of shops belonging to Pakistanis were broken into and looted.
"It is alleged that a group of angry community members attacked the shops. When our officials got to the scene they found that groceries were also looted. We have arrested a number of people suspected of having taken part in the crime," he said.
Ledwaba cautioned members of the public that it was a serious crime to take the law into their own hands whenever they suspected that a crime had been committed.
"When a person is suspected of involvement in crime it should be the work of police to arrest such a suspect," Ledwaba said.
"We only need members of the public to help us with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects and not the other way round, as happened in Modimolle."
Ledwaba said more arrests were expected since police investigations were continuing.
Sowetan has learnt that most of the Pakistani shop owners had run away from the township and are now pleading for refuge in neighbouring villages or towns in Limpopo.
New wave of xenophobic attacks
IN WHAT could be construed to be another form of xenophobic attacks in Limpopo, a number of shops belonging to Pakistanis in the Modimolle area were broken into and looted by angry community members.
The incident happened yesterday at about 2am, barely two days after another Pakistani appeared in the Modimolle Magistrate's Court for murder.
The man, Faisel Mohamed, 25, was arrested last Thursday in connection with the killing of Lerato Thlwaela, 20, who was found dead on the side of the road on the R101 between Mokgophong and Modimolle.
Police said the woman's legs were broken and on investigation the Pakistani, who was Thlwaela's boyfriend, was arrested.
Limpopo police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Mohamed was linked to the murder and that the circumstances that led to incident were still being investigated.
Mohamed appeared in the Modimolle Magistrate's Court for murder last Friday and was remanded in custody. The case was postponed to Thursday, when he will apply for bail.
Ledwaba said yesterday the police were called to the scene after a number of shops belonging to Pakistanis were broken into and looted.
"It is alleged that a group of angry community members attacked the shops. When our officials got to the scene they found that groceries were also looted. We have arrested a number of people suspected of having taken part in the crime," he said.
Ledwaba cautioned members of the public that it was a serious crime to take the law into their own hands whenever they suspected that a crime had been committed.
"When a person is suspected of involvement in crime it should be the work of police to arrest such a suspect," Ledwaba said.
"We only need members of the public to help us with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects and not the other way round, as happened in Modimolle."
Ledwaba said more arrests were expected since police investigations were continuing.
Sowetan has learnt that most of the Pakistani shop owners had run away from the township and are now pleading for refuge in neighbouring villages or towns in Limpopo.
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