Cape Town, South Africa – Targeted attacks against Somali nationals living in South Africa are reportedly on the rise, particularly in areas surrounding the coastal city of Cape Town, amid growing concerns from the community.
Within a span of 48 hours, two Somali men have been killed in separate incidents believed to be carried out by armed South African assailants.
The latest victim, Nur Mohamed Mahdi — known locally as “Faroole” — was fatally shot inside his business premises in the Khayelitsha township, one of the densely populated suburbs of Cape Town.
Just a day earlier, another Somali national, Shool Mohamed Adde, a well-known youth figure in the Western Cape region, was gunned down in Philippi, another suburb of Cape Town, also by armed assailants.
The recent killings come amid a spike in attacks targeting Somali-owned businesses across South Africa, where immigrant shopkeepers have frequently reported threats, robberies, and assaults by criminal gangs.
On Thursday afternoon, two other Somali nationals were injured in a separate attack in the Nyanga township, also in the Cape Town metropolitan area.
Community leaders have expressed alarm over the growing violence, urging South African authorities to bolster protections for foreign nationals and ensure justice is served in these cases.
No arrests have yet been reported.
