Martin Dube shot by South African police

Tichaona Sibanda
27 September 2005

A 25-year-old Zimbabwean man was shot and wounded by a South African police officer during a raid on illegal immigrants at a flat in Yeovil, Johannesburg.

The shooting took place last week in a dawn raid on a flat occupied by Zimbabweans. Martin Dube, who is now recuperating at Johannesburg hospital, was shot in the leg after he tried to escape from officers who had stormed the flat.

The raid netted 5 other Zimbabweans who were taken into custody and sent to the notorious Lindela holding camp for refugees. Zimbabwean lawyers for human rights in Johannesburg have since bailed them out.

Another Zimbabwean, Melusi Mpofu, 23, was shot and killed by South African police as he was walking home from work in Hillbrow last week. Mpofu’s body was repatriated to Zimbabwe and was buried in Nkayi over the weekend.

The Head of the Zimbabwe Action Support Group in South Africa, Remember Moyo said the spate of shootings against Zimbabweans in the country is now worrying them.

‘This is a serious issue that needs to be sorted out before it gets out of hand. We suspect police authorities are acting in this fashion because they’re on a revenge mission against Zimbabweans who exposed their corrupt activities to the SABC,’ said Moyo.