Durban - The murder of a Bangladeshi shop owner in Pietermaritzburg is being investigated after the man allegedly responsible was arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday.
Copesville informal settlement resident, Phoka Mofokeng, 33, is accused of killing Shofiqul Alam Amunir, 32, on April 12 in Edendale at the Machibise location, around a week after the xenophobic attacks broke out in the streets of Durban.
It is alleged that Mofokeng asked Aminur to open the gate to his shop on the pretext of buying cigarettes, and he was then shot.
Aminur attempted to run inside his shop for cover, but Mofokeng allegedly followed him inside and shot him again before fleeing.
Nothing was stolen from the grocery store.
Mofokeng has been remanded in custody until April 29 for a formal bail application in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court.
The capital city was reminiscent of a mini war zone after the wave of xenophobic violence that swept through last week.
The Daily News established that a special court was set up at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court this week to deal with cases involving attacks on foreigners.
Senior prosecutors revealed that any incident involving a foreign national since the attacks began was being investigated to ascertain whether it was linked to xenophobia.
So far, 20 South African men have appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court, and four men in the Howick Magistrate’s Court for a multitude of crimes including attempted murder, assault, public violence, arson, robbery and intimidation against foreigners.
The xenophobic violence victims include Ethiopian, Malawian and Bangladeshi nationals.
Victims reported they had been attacked with knives and iron rods. They were told they should go back to their countries or be killed, and their shops were looted; items to the value of between R1 200 and R40 000 were stolen.
All the accused appeared in court this week and were remanded in custody until later this month when they will apply for bail.
While the wheels of justice turn, normality has returned to the streets of Pietermaritzburg, with the majority of foreign and local shops reopening their doors after the chaos of last week.
Pakistani shop owner in Church Street, Ahmad Patel, said he was “still scared”, but needed to earn a living.
“Every time someone comes into my shop I am afraid because I never know if they are coming to harm me, but I have to live my life,” Patel said.
It is estimated that about 50 foreign-owned shops in the city had been looted.
Fearing for their safety, hundreds of foreigners left their homes last week, seeking refuge at local mosques, but by Tuesday, the majority had returned to their homes, while some indicated that they were in the process of returning to their countries.
Daily News