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The Somali community living in South Africa is in mourning after three Somali businessmen were killed in an attack robbery on Friday in an area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa.
Six other Somali citizens were seriously injured in the shooting, which took place on Molokwane road, in Imizamo Yethu neighbourhood, at around 7:30 pm.
According to the police, the attack targeted three shops managed by Somali businessmen. An unidentified armed group immediately opened fire on the shops, killing three men and seriously injuring six others who were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
A woman who witnessed the attack at a spaza shop in KwaNdosi, said she was inside one of the shops attacked to buy bread and milk. While choosing the items, she heard the gunshots. When she looked towards the door, she saw the Somali man guarding the door lying on the ground bleeding.
“I dropped all the things I had in my hand and ran towards the door, jumping over the injured man who was on the ground, and ran away. When I went outside, I heard another shot inside the store, so I think they were shooting. the second man behind the container.”
Western Cape police spokesperson, Colonel André Traut confirmed the incident, saying that investigators are investigating the cause of the brutal murders.
The Imizamo Yethu community is in a state of tension after the attack. The chairman of the Hout Bay Community Policing Forum Loyiso Skoti said that efforts are being made to curb violence through awareness.
These killings are part of the xenophobic violence in South Africa, especially those targeting Somali businessmen for robbery. In 2008, a wave of xenophobic violence swept through South Africa, resulting in the deaths of dozens of foreign nationals.
Somali citizens who run small businesses in villages across the country have regularly become victims of violence and robbery, often attributed to xenophobia and economic competition.