The Zimbabwean Government has through its Embassy in South Africa, started engaging the SA Government following the brutal murder of a Zimbabwean national in the neighbouring country.
Elvis Nyathi (43), a domestic worker who lived in Diepsloot, a slum area in Johannesburg, was stoned and set alight by vigilantes on Wednesday night for being a foreigner.
Zimbabwe’s Consul-General in South Africa Melody Chaurura told The Sunday Mail on Saturday that they were talking with the SA Government at all levels. She said:
I was able to visit the family of Elvis Nyathi yesterday (Friday) to pass our condolences.
We have been able to get free repatriation of the body from a Zimbabwe-owned funeral parlour here in South Africa.
We are very much concerned with this issue and we are talking to the South African government at all levels to see how the issue can be dealt with.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail, the deceased’s brother, Godknows Nyathi, said the Zimbabwean Consulate was assisting with facilitating the repatriation process. He said:
The consulate came and said they are going to assist us with the repatriation of his body to Zimbabwe.
We will be waiting for the autopsy then after that, we will get the papers and bring the body to Zimbabwe on Thursday or Friday.
The murder of Nyathi followed a day of protests by Diepsloot residents over the high crime rate in the area which they blamed on foreigners.
