As tension continues to build in Diepsloot, an informal settlement in South Africa, one family is faced with the burden and heartbreak of burying their son, Elvis Nyathi. The 43-year-old Zimbabwean man who was a resident of South Africa where he was working was the unfortunate victim of a mob baying for blood. Video footage of the gruesome act is enough to send shivers down the most hardened criminals.
The footage is circulating of the father of four begging for mercy from the crowd as they pour a flammable liquid on him while beating him up with knobkerries. He eventually loses the fight.
Elvis Nyathi was a gardener in Fourways, South Africa. The 43-year-old was married and had four children who all live in Zimbabwe. Neighbors and friends described him as a fun-loving person who did not have problems with anyone.
According to his family, the Zimbabwean national and father of four had just come home from work when a mob ran through his neighborhood chasing a group of people, knocking on doors, and asking for ID documents.
“My brother, his wife, and others hid behind their shack and the group found them and started chasing them because they thought they were criminals,” said Nyathi’s brother Godknows. “He wasn’t a violent man, he was a very good person,” he says.
Since the gruesome event, Elvis Nyathi’s wife has fled her home, fearing for her life. The action was condemned by both South African and Zimbabwean politicians and public figures.
Former DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane wrote: Those who killed #ElvisNyathi must be arrested. We should not normalize murder as a tool for getting government attention.
