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Bulawayo man on stabbing rampage in SA

By Daniso Sikhupha

A ZIMBABWEAN man went on a stabbing rampage in Johannesburg’s violent suburb of Hilbrow, injuring at least 12 others, a police spokesman, Superintendent Eugene Opperman confirmed.
Supt Opperman said the hunt is now on for the Zimbabwean who is believed is from Bulawayo. The incident happened on the New Year’s eve despite a heavy presence of police officers monitoring the usually violent black township now awash with Zimbabweans fleeing Robert Mugabe’s collapsing economy.
Supt Opperman said out of the 12 people treated at the trauma unit, only one, who had been shot. They were all from was from Hillbrow.
An eye witness also Zimbabwean who gave her name only as Jennifer, said the stabbing started during a party she had thrown at her place and invited colleagues, relatives and fellow Zimbabweans.
“I told all the people who attended the party to behave. The attacker [who we know from Bulawayo], came after the party had already started.
“He accused one of my sisters [who was among his victims] of cheating on him. He started slapping her. When we tried to intervene, he fought with everybody. He then grabbed a beer bottle and started stabbing at anyone. We ran and he left,” Jennifer said.
Emergency services treated 12 people who sustained serious injuries in Hillbrow during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
This was in spite of the heavy police presence in the area, notorious for its violent eruptions. Though police have hailed this year’s operation to combat unruly behaviour associated with the New Year celebrations in Hillbrow a success, emergency services treated gunshot and stab victims.
The casualties from the attack by the unidentified Zimbabwean were taken to the Hillbrow police station where emergency services had set up a makeshift trauma unit. All were victims of fights from the celebrations.
In an incident in Yeoville, three people were treated after they were allegedly attacked at a party.
“In one incident, police received a false complaint about an assault in [Pretorius Street] Hillbrow. When they got there, they were pelted with stones. Police retaliated by firing rubber bullets and one of the injured was taken to the trauma unit. He disappeared before he could be treated. Maybe he did not expect to find police there. But we have his details and will look for him,” Opperman said.
He said a total of 81 people were arrested in the Johannesburg area for offences that included assault and being drunk in public.
He said the others were from Yeoville and Alexandra. Opperman said Hillbrow residents had heeded the call to behave.