Africa-Press – Mozambique. Criminals in South Africa on Saturday set alight six vehicles belonging to Mozambicans, including a passenger bus, which were carrying around 35 people to Durban, Notícias online reports this Monday.
The incident took place about 90 kilometres from the Ponta do Ouro border post between the two countries.
In addition to setting fire to the vehicles, the criminals also robbed their owners and passengers.
Matutuíne district administrator Júlia Mwitu told TVM what happened.
“The attacks took place just outside Durban, about 90 kilometres from the border. Six vehicles belonging to Mozambicans were set on fire,” Mwitu said, adding that everything indicated that the incidents were linked to protests carried out by criminal gangs.
There are no reports of deaths or injuries, and the victims were rescued by the South African authorities and escorted back to the Ponta do Ouro border.
Police authorities promised to comment on the matter shortly.
This is the second report of Mozambican vehicles being set alight in South Africa in less than a week, Notícias concludes.
Seis viaturas moçambicanas incendiadas na África do Sul
Um grupo de malfeitores desconhecidos, ainda a monte, incendiou sábado, em território sul-africano, seis viaturas de cidadãos moçambicanos, incluindo um autocarro de passageiros, que levavam cerca de 35 passageiros e tinham como destino a cidade de Durban.
O incidente ocorreu cerca de 90 quilómetros da fronteira da Ponta de Ouro, que separa ambos os países.
Além de atear fogo às viaturas, os malfeitores levaram parte de seus bens, incluindo valores monetários.
A administradora do distrito de Matutuíne, Júlia Mwitu, citada pela Televisão Moçambique (TVM), confirmou o ocorrido e explica os contornos que envolveram o infortúnio.
“É do lado da entrada de Durban onde deu-se o ataque, a aproximadamente 90 quilómetros da fronteira e foram incendiadas viaturas de alguns moçambicanos, em número de seis”, disse Mwitu, acrescentando que tudo indica que o caso tem ligações com as manifestações perpetradas por grupos de malfeitores contra cidadãos moçambicanos.
Não há registo de mortes ou feridos. As vítimas foram socorridas pelas autoridades sul-africanas e escoltadas de regresso à fronteira da Ponta de Ouro.
Sobre o assunto, as autoridades policiais prometeram pronunciar-se brevemente. Este é o segundo caso de queima de viaturas na vizinha África do Sul em menos de uma semana.
According to a report brought by ‘O País’ on Wednesday (January 25), unidentified criminals in South Africa on Monday of last week torched a loaded passenger bus travelling from Durban to Maputo, without injury to person.
An amateur video circulating on social media platforms shows the bus on fire.
One of the passengers involved in that incident was a young businesswoman who left Durban on Monday, on a trip that usually lasts five to six hours. She only managed to arrive in Maputo on Wednesday morning, much shaken by what happened on Monday.
“It was very uncomfortable. We had to go back because, they told us, there was a strike and they were burning coaches, so we had to sleep at the border. We slept in the street,” she recounted
Armando Chemane drives a minibus on the Maputo-Durban route. He was heading back to Maputo when he heard about the bus on fire and was forced to divert.
“We left Durban on Tuesday. When we arrived in Lhilhuli we stopped to fill up. A Mozambican appeared and warned us against using that road, so we turned around and looked for alternatives,” he related.
The situation did not take long to have its impact at the international terminal in Baixa. By midday on Wednesday, only one vehicle had left for South Africa, and that with few passengers onboard. Usually, three buses a day leave, said Lopes Ambrósio, President of the International Transport Association.
“It ends up affecting all the routes to South Africa, because people get scared. For example, today people are afraid. Here at the Baixa terminal , movement is very weak, there is almost no work,” he said.
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