Staff Reporter

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has strongly condemned the gruesome murder of a Zimbabwean national Elvis Nyathi last week and has described the act as immoral, racist and criminal.

In a statement yesterday, President Ramaphosa said the murder of Nyathi was a tragedy and admitted that crime has become a serious problem in South Africa.

“The events in the Gauteng township of Diepsloot last week were a tragedy. In the course of a single weekend, seven people were killed sparking protests. This loss of life is deplorable as it is the killing of a fellow African from Zimbabwe allegedly at the hands of the vigilantes. Crime is a serious problem in this country,” said President Ramaphosa.

President Ramaphosa said that criminal activities in South Africa were not only committed by black immigrants, but the perpetrators of crime were blacks and whites, foreigners and locals.

“Contrary to what is claimed by some anti-immigration groupings and individuals, the perpetrators of crime are both black and white, male and female, foreigner and citizen. Crime, not migrants, is the common enemy we must work together to defeat,” said President Ramaphosa.

The South African President added that crime could not be defeated through incitement, violence, intimidation and vigilantism aimed at foreign nationals, and specifically nationals from other African countries.

Meanwhile, former Government Cabinet Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo slammed the leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Nelson Chamisa for insinuating that the tragic death of Zimbabwean Elvis Nyathi in South Africa was caused by ‘bad governance in Zimbabwe’.

Prof Moyo argues that the gruesome murder of Nyathi was not as a result of "illegal" or "forced" immigration, as claimed by Chamisa, but was due to Afrophobia.