The Zimbabwean community in Tshikota is appealing for peace to their “South African brothers and sisters”, following the death of a Zimbabwean man who was knocked down by a car and later died in hospital.

According to the Tshikota Zim Committee's secretary, Mr Pasipanodya Mate (38), the Zimbabweans were walking along the street, heading to the hostel for a meeting on 1 December at around 18:25. A South African motorist and resident in Tshikota, in a VW Polo, drove through the congested crowd of people, who quickly scattered away.

However, Mr Belief Mupo was not that lucky as he was hit by the car. Mupo later died in Polokwane Hospital. “We saw it with our own eyes that the driver intended to kill the lot of us by running over us,” says Mate. “I informed the police, who were monitoring the situation, but one official answered that 'You Zimbabweans are becoming too many here'.”

“I visited [Mupo] at the LTT Memorial and Polokwane hospitals, and he had severe head injuries and other visible injuries on his cheek and mouth,” says Mate. He adds that he fails to understand the kind of hatred displayed by some South Africans in Tshikota. “We understand that there might be some people from Zim who also steal from South Africans, but that doesn't mean that all Zimbabweans in South Africa are criminals,” he says.

Violence erupted in Tshikota in the third week of November, after members of the community said that “illegal immigrants and criminals” were terrorising the locals. “Our purpose for meeting at the community hall was to discuss ways of working hand in glove with our SA brothers and sisters in the war against crime,” said Mate.

The deceased's older brother, Mr Junias Mpandasikwa, who travelled from Zimbabwe shortly after learning about his brother's death, opened a case of culpable homicide at the Makhado police station. “I am shocked by my brother's death – why him?” he worried.

The police's provincial spokesperson, Col Ronel Otto, confirmed that a case of culpable homicide was opened on 11 December. Ward 21's Cllr Abraham du Plooy said that he was not aware that the man who was hit by the car had died.

“But the incident of the man who was accidentally hit by the car is not by any means connected to Sunday's 'xenophobic attacks', yet it happened on Sunday,” Du Plooy said.