Two Chinese men working in South Africa were shot dead in an armed
robbery Sunday noon near Bloemfontein, according to the Chinese
consulate general in Johannesburg and a friend of the victims.
The men were shot in the head by three or four men, who broke
into a factory cafeteria while the victims were having lunch with
two other Chinese colleagues.
The assailants took some 80,000 rand (US$12,400) and shot two of
the Chinese before fleeing in the victims' cars.
One of the victims died at the scene and the other was
pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.
Local police have arrested three suspects.
The dead workers were employed at a plastic bag factory in an
industrial area about 50 km from Bloemfontein.
Although there are relatively few Chinese in South Africa, they
have become an easy target for robberies and murders in recent
years. Most Chinese are in the country to conduct business.
At least 12 Chinese have been murdered and another eight injured
in robberies across South Africa since January, with economic
losses topping US$900,000, according to a Johannesburg Chinese
community security center.
South Africa is often labeled "the violent crime capital of the
world." Levels of recorded crime began to increase in the
mid-1980s, climbed dramatically in the early 1990s and continue to
escalate. Although statistics vary from source to source owing to
differences in methods of calculation, South Africa can generally
claim the unwanted honor of having the highest per capita murder
rate in the world.
(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2004)