The Chinese Consulate General in Johannesburg, South Africa, said on the evening of August 20 that eight Chinese students were robbed after they accidentally boarded the robber's "thief's car" in the center of Johannesburg, killing one student, who was only 19 years old, according to a news release released on the 21st by local time of the Chinese Consulate General in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lin Songtian, China's ambassador to South Africa, told the Global Times on the 22nd that he was shocked and sad to learn of the plight of Chinese students in South Africa. China calls on the South African police to mobilize all available forces to arrest the murderer as soon as possible.
According to reports, 8 Chinese students on the evening of the 20th due to a long wait for the agreed car, so decided to ride back to school in China and Pakistan. After boarding, a robber in the car suddenly ordered the students to put down their belongings and get out of the car. After eight students handed over their luggage and backpack to the gangster, the vehicle suddenly speeded up as they tried to retrieve their passports inside the bag. A student jumped and was shot by the robber. The students immediately fled to the nearby police station for help. About 10 minutes later, police led the student to the scene and found that the injured student had been shot in the chest and was killed.
Ambassador Lin said that public security in South Africa is indeed not very good. He has told the South African government that it is important to address security issues and create a safe atmosphere for foreigners visiting and investing in South Africa. In addition, consulate staff reminded Chinese students to remain calm in the event of robberies and do not have to argue over passports and gangsters, because it is easy to reissue these documents and is not worth risking their lives at all.
By the end of 2016, about 7100 Chinese had studied in South Africa, according to a March update on China's foreign ministry website. South Africa is an English-speaking country with a low cost of studying and a degree recognized by most countries. The education system is similar to Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
South Africa's public transport is underdeveloped, and most of its daily trips depend on self-driving cars. But because of the big gap between rich and poor, many people who can't afford to buy a car can only ride a privately operated van, up to 16 people, and generally have a fixed parking point and route. According to conservative estimates, South Africa has at least 150000 such rental China and Pakistan. In the life of South Africans, this kind of China and Pakistan is the equivalent of a taxi. There is no conductor on the bus, there is no stop on the road, the driver and passengers communicate in the same direction through complex gestures, that is to say, they wave to stop.
Because drivers and passengers are mixed, this means of transportation is extremely risky and overseas Chinese in South Africa generally try to avoid it. The first is that drivers do not comply with the traffic rules, overloading arbitrary turn is a routine. The vehicle situation is also uneven, many vehicle injuries are still on the road operation, which led to a very high bus accident rate. On the other hand, in order to grab popular lines and passengers, gang forces involved in it, hate fighting often occurs. Criminals also often use CMB as a cover-up vehicle for illegal acts such as robbery and theft.