South Africa October 2006 |
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| Illegal immigrant seriously injured, (Zoutnet, 2006-10-06):-A 22-year-old illegal immigrant from Zimbabwe was shot and seriously injured by an unknown suspect along the Beitbridge-Musina Public road on Sunday. Police spokesperson for the Vhembe district Insp Thivhulawi Tshilate said the incident occurred on Sunday shortly after 01:00, about two kilometers from the Beitbridge border post. He said the victim was amongst a group of several other Zimbabwean border jumpers, who had illegally crossed into South Africa through undesignated entry points along the Limpopo River. “They were walking along the Beitbridge-Musina public road, probably in search of transport, when they heard gunshots which erupted from a nearby bushy area. The victim was then hit by a bullet in the right upper leg and he collapsed,” Tshilate said. The other border jumpers then fled the scene, leaving their colleague writhing in agony. According to Tshilate, the victim was later rescued by members of the South African National Defence Force, who were patrolling the area. The victim was taken to the Musina Hospital for treatment. In a related incident, another 22-year-old Zimbabwean illegal immigrant was shot in the ribs by three unknown suspects along the MaRoy-Musina road. The incident occurred last Friday at around 15:00. Tshilate said the victim was in a group of several other border jumpers, who had illegally entered into South Africa, when they were confronted by five armed suspects. “The victim, together with the rest of the group, was then ordered to lie on their stomachs. However, they did not abide and started to run away. He was then shot in the ribs.” The suspects fled and the victim was taken to the Musina Hospital by the rest of the group. Tshilate said no arrests have since been made. He said the police are looking for the suspects and are asking the assistance of the community to locate them. Scores of Zimbabweans continue to cross into South Africa illegally, despite the dangers of being attacked by armed robbers operating along the Limpopo River. Thousands of Zimbabweans are deported back through the Beitbridge border post every month. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |