Johannesburg - Two of the more than 150 suspects linked to xenophobic attacks in Gauteng are themselves foreigners - one is Mozambican and another is a Zimbabwean.
Mozambican Felix Baloyi, 26, and Zimbabwean Veli Ncube, 22, who live in Malvern, Joburg, were among 10 suspects arrested near Jeppestown in connection with public violence last Wednesday.
The other eight suspects are South Africans who live in the Denver hostel.
The identity of the two emerged when court officials and the prosecution formally charged them in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The two asked the State to provide interpreters in their own indigenous languages - “Maputo Shangaan” and “Zimbabwean isiNdebele” - to assist when they made a formal bail application.
They were arrested after they were allegedly caught looting shops belongings to foreigners.
The group were charged with housebreaking with intent to steal, and theft. They were expected to appear in court next Tuesday for bail applications.
“The fact that there are two foreign nationals among these suspects shows that people are using xenophobic attacks as an excuse to commit crime. It’s not just South Africans who are involved in the looting,” said a court official.
“Criminals are now hiding behind the xenophobic attacks. There is a Mozambican who is looting shops that belong to foreigners. This shows that criminals are taking advantage of the situation.”
The Star