Islamophobic attacker sentenced
Zayne van Tonder who insulted and hit a Muslim man in Magaliesburg last year has been sentenced.
Media Review Network (MRN) reports that the murder trial in “South Africa’s first Islamophobic attack has been successfully concluded”.
Iqbal Jassat, Executive of Media Review Network says in a media statement that the trial of Rudolph Viviers (29), accused of the murder of Fayaz Kazi and the attack on his friend Anser Mahmood was heard in the High Court in Johannesburg sitting at Palm Ridge. Viviers faced charges of grievous bodily harm and culpable homicide, and he pleaded guilty on both counts. He was sentenced yesterday 10 October.
Viviers and a friend, Zayne van Tonder (34), who has been acquitted on all charges due to a lack of evidence linking him to the murder, allegedly made religious innuendos towards Kazi at a Chicken Licken outlet in Magaliesburg on 6 August last year.
Kazi and Mahmood stepped into the shop to buy food to break their Ramadan fasting when they were mocked because of their beards.
Kazi was badly injured when he was hit by Viviers. He later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.
On the first charge he was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment of which two years were suspended and on the second charge he was sentenced to 12 years’ of which four years were suspended.
The sentences will run concurrently, and effectively he will spend eight years behind bars.
Following the sentencing, Viviers’ legal representative indicated that Viviers wished to address the families of Kazi and his friend Mahmood.
Speaking from the dock, he expressed his deep sorrow and repentance for the pain he had caused not only to the families, but the Muslim Community at large.
“The MRN, on behalf of both the families, express our sincere appreciation for the support of the Muslim Community and the Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA). The MLA was represented by attorneys Yusha Tayob and Nadeem Mohamed,” says Jassat.
“The MRN also expresses its admiration and thanks to the South African Police Services (SAPS), for the rapid deployment of a special task team, which was responsible for the swift arrest, prosecution and conviction of the accused.”
