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S.African court jails men for immigrant’s murder

Two South African men were on Monday jailed for killing a Mozambican street vendor in an attack captured in graphic photographs during a wave of anti-immigrant violence last year.

The images, taken by a press photographer, showed Emmanuel Sithole being stabbed to death with a small knife in Alexandra township, northern Johannesburg.

Johannesburg magistrate Lucas van der Schyff jailed the main accused Mthinto Bhengu for 17 years, and his co-accused Sifundo Mzimela for 10 years.

Their underage accomplice received a five-year suspended term and was released under supervision.

In handing down the sentences, Van der Schyff said Bhengu was a danger to society and did not show real remorse.

Bhengu was identified as the man wielding the knife in pictures that caused a national outcry amid a spate of deadly attacks against immigrants in townships.

Sithole died of his wounds in hospital.

The magistrate described the murder as “senseless, brutal and unnecessary”.

Attacks against immigrants often flare up across South Africa, where poor locals accuse them of taking their jobs.

In 2008, South Africa experienced its worst bout of xenophobic violence, which left 62 people dead.