Zimbabwe activist shot dead in Hillbrow, South Africa

By Tichaona Sibanda
22 September 2005

A Zimbabwean activist working as a security guard in Johannesburg was shot dead in cold blood on Tuesday night, by South African police. He has been identified as 23 year-old Thulani Mpofu from Bulawayo.

His death has caused outrage among Zimbabweans in Johannesburg. Describing the tragic event on Thursday, Remember Moyo of the Zimbabwe Action Support Group said Mpofu was shot once in the chest by a woman traffic officer.

He had been walking home from his duty in Hillbrow when he briefly tried to run away from police, who were conducting stop and search checks on illegal immigrants in the area.

Moyo said: ‘He was ordered to stop and when he did he raised up his hands to surrender. A woman police officer from the traffic section conducted a body search on him and to the shock of her colleagues fired a single shot to his chest. It’s reported that he slumped to the ground and died shortly after.”

On Wednesday the Zimbabwe action Support Group held a meeting with top South African police officers in central Johannesburg, demanding to know the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting. The group fears police in the country could be deliberately targeting Zimbabwean activists who may have exposed the corruption that has been evident in the way the police deal with Zimbabwean immigrants.

Moyo said the explanation given by the police is that the officer fired by mistake and that she has been relieved of her duties pending an investigation.

‘We need clarification over the shooting because we’ve heard reports that they (police) are out to get Zimbabweans. We are facing a dangerous enemy who should be protecting us. They have become trigger-happy overnight so we need to be careful,’ he said.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation last month released a video clip, showing several police officers receiving bribes from Zimbabwean immigrants, buying their freedom from police custody. They had been arrested on allegations of living and working illegally in South Africa.