Two arrested for Muslim man’s murder

Both men suspected of beating a Muslim man to death in Magaliesburg have been arrested, police said on Sunday.

One man, 27, was arrested in Rustenburg on Saturday night, police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila said.

The second man, 33, handed himself to Magaliesburg police on Sunday morning, accompanied by his lawyer.

Both were in custody and would appear in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of murder and assault.

“Detectives worked tirelessly and around the clock since the cases were reported on Wednesday,” Malila said.

North West premier Thandi Modise congratulated police for the arrests.

“We commend our police for the speedy arrest and look up to our courts for the law to take to take its course,” Modise said.

Muhammad Fayaaz Kazi, 27, from Ventersdorp, and his father's friend Anser Mahmood, were attacked at a Chicken Licken outlet in Magaliesburg on Monday. Mahmood said two white, Afrikaans-speaking men made fun of Kazi's beard and insulted them.

Kazi, who understood Afrikaans, confronted the two men and a fight broke out. Both Kazi and his friend were attacked and the two white men fled the scene. Kazi later died in Potchefstroom Hospital.

On Sunday Rapport quoted Trevor Buthelezi, a waiter at a local restaurant, as saying: “A large, white man of over 100kg kicked and hit Kazi and Mahmood for about 20 minutes... A crowd gathered, but everyone was too scared to help.

“Someone called the police, but before they arrived, a motorist stopped and pulled the man off him (Kazi).”

According to Rapport, there were two police officers at the scene, but they refused to help because they said they were off-duty.

The killing resulted in an outpouring of condolences, outrage, and calls for the alleged killers to be arrested.

The Media Review Network (MRN) on Sunday welcomed news of the arrest. It called on all law enforcement agencies to be especially vigilant in regard to crimes related to racism, religious bigotry, xenophobia, and Islamophobia.

“It is unfair and beyond comprehension that the victim of atrocious violence dies at the hands of a bigot for no reason other than being profiled a Muslim,” the MRN said. - Sapa