Killing spree of Somalis in South Africa continues

South Africa became a butcher house for Somali refugees who fled a long civil war that paralyzed their homeland, Somalia. Somalis being killed in this country has been regular occurrences for a long time. Brutality of these killings are indescribable, hanging, setting fire on, hacking to death, you name it – Somalis have suffered all in the hands of black South Africans. Most victims were killed in their places of businesses by gun-totting or machete wielding thugs. Harassments, beatings and even killings of Somalis in public places occur in many parts of the country.

Why are these people being targeted? Many Somalis in South Africa believe some of the killings are behind by greedy business people who want to drive Somali businesses out of the country. Somalis opened many “One-Dollar” like stores and sell merchandize much cheaper than traditional variety stores. It became like “if you can’t compete them, kill them”.

The latest victims:

- Daily Telepraph (dispatch.co.za) said today:
A SOMALI spaza shopkeeper was attacked and killed in his Sterkstroom shop, police said yesterday.
Inspector Namhla Mdleleni said a six-year-old boy found Kasi Adid, 26, lying in a pool of blood on the floor of his shop at about 1pm on Wednesday. The boy alerted the neighbours, who called an ambulance that took Adid to Frontier Hospital in Queenstown.
Adid died in an ambulance while being transferred from Frontier to Frere Hospital in East London.
Mdleleni said the wound on his upper body could be from either a sharp instrument or a gun.

News24.com: Somali man stoned to death (16/08/2005)

Johannesburg - Mpumalanga police were searching for an unknown number of suspects on Tuesday after a Somali man, identified only as Abdekwati, was stoned to death in Piet Retief.

Captain Leonard Hlathi of Piet Retief said the 22-year-old man's body was found outside the municipal vehicle-testing grounds in the town early on Monday morning.

Bricks covered in blood and a knife were found near the body.

Police have appealed to anyone with information about the incident to contact their nearest police station.