Dylan Bettencourt
For weeks, different officials have given different numbers of the people who were killed in Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal during the racial violence between Blacks and Indians in July.
On Tuesday, Minister of Police Bheki Cele gave a new number. He confirmed that the death toll in the unrest has risen to a total of 36 with a further 22 people arrested.
Cele said at a press conference that 30 of the dead were shot with the rest either being stabbed, burnt to death or dying of complications.
The minister said the patrols set up by Phoenix community members in response to the looting led to issues between some racial groups in their neighborhood.
“Some people operating the checkpoints turned to vigilantism and started racially profiling people, preventing them entry into the suburb.”
One incident in particular was highlighted with a police report stating a bakkie without number plates with weapons fired live ammunition at community members which Cele believes was the beginning of the devastating violence.
An investigation into 52 separate cases of attempted murder has begun with nine cases of robbery and 16 cases of common assault also being looked at by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“A team of 31 experienced detectives from the province and national have been deployed to investigate, make arrests and attend court cases to ensure justice prevails,” said the minister.
“Working closely with the communities, their investigations have led to the arrest of 22 suspects so far.”
Cele said 112 illegal firearms had been seized in a police operation in the area and the weapons have been sent for ballistic analysis.
Image source: @Polity
