Provincial police in the Western Cape clarify the circumstances surrounding the murder of 19-year-old Nhlamulo Sambo, distancing it from recent anti-immigration protests.
Image: Facebook
Provincial police in the Western Cape have said that the fatal stabbing of a South African teenager in Mossel Bay was a criminal matter and not related to the recent anti-immigration protests in the area.
At least two Mozambican nationals were killed in the protest-related unrest.
This follows widely circulated social media videos featuring the mother of 19-year-old Nhlamulo Sambo. In the footage, she claimed her son, mistaken for a foreigner, was singled out and attacked because he spoke Xitsonga within a largely isiXhosa-speaking community.
However, Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile stated that initial detective work points to a housebreaking incident rather than ethnic profiling or xenophobia.
According to Patekile, Sambo and a 15-year-old accomplice allegedly entered an unoccupied structure to steal belongings when the resident was out.
"The deceased and a 15-year-old were found in an empty shack while the owner was away," Patekile said. "As they were allegedly trying to remove property, the owner returned." The 15-year-old hid under a bed, while the owner chased after the deceased and allegedly stabbed him to death.
Authorities said that the younger teenager escaped unharmed and has already given a formal statement to investigators supporting the account of the attempted theft.
The incident, which took place around 3am on Sunday in the New Rest informal settlement, is being treated as an isolated confrontation. Police reiterated that it bears no connection to the anti-illegal immigration demonstrations that rocked the neighboring Asla Park area between Friday and Saturday.
A manhunt is currently underway for the known shack owner who fled the scene after the stabbing.
While Sambo's death has been classified as a separate criminal event, detectives are still investigating the murders of two Mozambican nationals whose deaths were tied to the weekend unrest. The two men, aged 27 and 43, died from severe assault wounds on Saturday morning. No suspects have been apprehended yet for those killings.
The volatile protests in the wider KwaNonqaba zone saw a crowd set fire to roughly 55 shacks, forcing upwards of 400 people out of their homes. The Mossel Bay Municipality is currently working alongside relief organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to the displaced families.
Five people have been taken into custody since the initial lawlessness broke out. Two suspects facing charges of public violence have secured bail of R1 000 each, and three others face prosecution in the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court for the possession of suspected stolen items.
SAPS has renewed its appeal to residents and community leaders to verify facts before sharing claims online, noting that unverified social media narratives are stoking unnecessary tensions and panic. Specialised public order policing units remain stationed in the area to keep the peace.
For more stories from The Mercury, click the link THE MERCURY