“While we believe that there could be illegal immigrants here, residents need to understand that some of them are here legally”.
They found him on 9th Avenue, where they knew he would be. It wasn’t much of a hunt and a shot to the head satisfied their blood lust.
As the mob marched on through the streets of Alexandra, Lungile Ndiweni crashed through the narrow alleys between shacks and collapsed facedown in the sand.
The 30-year-old from Zimbabwe had spent five years in South Africa, but in less than 24 terror-filled hours he had become a mortal enemy.
His murder marked a second night of bloodshed in Alexandra, bringing the death toll since Sunday night to three.
Late into Monday night the popping sounds of shotguns firing rubber bullets could be heard across Alexandra – from London Road in the south to Vasco da Gama Street in the north.
Gangs darted across the streets, smashing into small shops and stealing everything they could carry.
Heavily armoured police vans criss-crossed the battlefield, dispersing rioters, arresting suspects and assisting the foreigners.
Determined to find safety in numbers, immigrants huddled in groups along the main roads. They made fires and wrapped up in blankets as night fell.
Many had gathered their belongings and fled Alexandra before sunset. Some had volunteered to be deported and were driven to the Lindela detention centre earlier in the day, a desperate move considering the centre’s grim reputation.