Babalo Ndenze
Cape Times
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

While police were adamant the motive for the latest killing of a Somali shopowner in Delft South was robbery, his countrymen maintained it was the latest in a string of xenophobic attacks to which they have been subjected.

Yusuf Abdille, 40, was the 12th Somali killed this year, according to police. The Somali community claim 30 have been shot dead. Abdille's unnamed 34-year-old colleague was seriously wounded in the shooting at his Mango Street house.

Police spokesperson Randall Stoffels said the incident happened about 9pm on Monday.

"(Abdille) was fatally wounded and his 34-year-old Somali colleague was seriously wounded when three armed men fired several shots at (Abdille) as he was parking his vehicle in the garage at his house," said Stoffels.

He said Abdille had a bullet wound to his neck and died on the scene.

"His friend sustained a bullet wound to his left thigh and is in a serious condition in a nearby hospital. It is alleged that the suspects robbed them of an undisclosed amount of money. The suspects fled the scene on foot and are still at large," said Stoffels.

Asked whether the police didn't think the robbery may have been carried out by xenophobic elements in the community, Stoffels said this wasn't the case.

"It's a clear case of robbery because money was taken. It's not xenophobic at all," said Stoffels.

However, Ali Ebrahim, who knew Abdille, said the killing was definitely xenophobic.

"Some people say it's robbery but it's just xenophobic. It's a clear matter of xenophobia. They took everything he had," said Ebrahim.

He said Abdille had a licensed firearm but couldn't do anything with it because he was outnumbered.

"Because there were three of them, they ambushed him," said Ebrahim.

He said Abdille was buried in Strand on Tuesday.

Before Monday's killing, a 31-year-old Somali shop assistant was shot by four gunmen in Zone 6, Thembalethu, in George on Saturday.

The four entered the shop and one of them pointed a firearm at the 42-year-old shopowner.

The shop assistant was shot in the chest by one of the men when he approached from another room. He died at the scene.

The suspects are still at large.

Last week premier Ebrahim Rasool said nine arrests had been made in the past two weeks in connection with public violence against Somalis. No one has been arrested for any of the murders, however.

The arrests were across the province in response to incidents involving Somalis in Khayelitsha, Masiphumelele (Noordhoek), George, Barrydale and Plettenberg Bay.

Rasool also told journalists that the number of deaths has been confirmed at 10, far fewer than previously claimed by some members of the Somali community. That figure has now risen to 12 following the latest killings in George and Delft South.

Source: Cape Times, Sept 20, 2006