HE high quality video shows the agony of a naked Zimbabwean man being beaten to death, the Daily Sun narrated. In 10 minutes of unchecked violence, he rolls around on the ground, trying to avoid the blows as blood oozes from his wounded body.
The video ends as the man, surrounded by spectators who do nothing to intervene, eventually falls into a coma. Unconfirmed reports said the body was later set alight. Many residents in the Zandspruit squatter camp north of Joburg believe that crime has increased greatly since Zimbabwean nationals started moving into the area and when a crime is committed a Zimbabwean national is almost always the accused.
The video of the Zimbabwean man in his early 20s begins with the naked man being punched and kicked. The attackers seem to take turns as they become more and more violent and the beating continues, with sticks and rocks. The man staggers to his feet in a dazed attempt to escape but he is struck down again.
The video ends with the man lying on the ground, covered in blood, with two people beating him with sticks. A Zimbabwe-born domestic worker, whose cousin was stoned and burnt to death in Zandspruit on the 30 October this year, was shown the video. At first she thought it was a video of her cousin but then realised it was a repeat of the previous horror!
Describing the previous event, the domestic worker told Daily Sun she had heard that men arrived in Zandspruit looking for someone who they suspected had robbed them. They found the man’s brother, who was forced to take them to the shack of the man they were looking for. But the man wasn’t there so they set the innocent brother alight. The community allegedly abused the dead body afterwards.
The domestic worker and her family do not want to report the attack because they are scared of persecution by the same men. The woman’s employer said he was shocked beyond words by the incident and even more so by the lack of humanity shown by both men and women in the community.
Warrant Officer Carin Jacobs, spokeswoman for the Honeydew cops, said she was not aware of the video.
“Send me your details. If I hear anything I will let you know,” she said.
This is NOT the video. I want to see the real full 10 minute video. NOW WHERE IS IT?