MAPUTO, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of three of the Mozambicans murdered in the anti-foreigner attack in South Africa arrived in Maputo on Sunday afternoon, local media AIM reported on Monday.

    The body of 22-year-old Geraldo Mathe, and 24-year-old Ernesto Nhamuave were immediately transported to their home provinces of Gaza and Inhambane. The third body was that of 22-year-old Octavio Mbanze, a native of Maputo, and he was laid in the morgue at Maputo Central Hospital.

    Nhamuave's brother-in-law, Francisco Candza, who accompanied the bodies, told the Maputo daily "Noticias" that Nhamuave had been surprised by rioters when he was returning from his job in Germiston.

    "My brother-in-law was easily overcome and they set him on fire", Candza was quoted as saying. "I escaped because I ran. I fell over, but the police appeared and helped me".

    According to Casimiro Abreu, the deputy general director of the country's relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC), more bodies will arrive in Maputo over the next few days, though it is not known how many.

    To help with funeral expenses, the government is providing each affected family with 150 kg of rice, a crate of fish, chickens, 20kg of sugar, five litres of cooking oil, plus some soap and salt.

    Meanwhile the South African petrochemical company Sasol delivered a cheque for 1.27 million meticais (50,800 U.S. dollars)to the INGC on Saturday to support Mozambicans returning from South Africa.

    The general manager of SASOL's operations in Mozambique, Mateus Zimba, said that his institution has been following closely the suffering of Mozambicans driven out of South Africa, and felt the need to lend some support.

    Most of the over 35,000 returnees are residents in Maputo, Gazaand Inhambane provinces, and it is in these provinces that SASOL has its investments, namely the natural gas processing plant in Temane, Inhambane, and the pipeline, transporting gas to South Africa, that crosses Gaza and Maputo provinces.

    "SASOL has a very particular interest in these provinces and wants to see the situation back to normal as soon as possible, that is our main motivation", said Zimba, adding that the money delivered on Saturday is exclusively to support those Mozambicans who left South Africa and are in Mozambique.

    It is reported that there are still about 12,000 Mozambicans in accommodation centers in South Africa, and SASOL is studying mechanisms, with the INGC, to channel its support to them too.

    For his part, INGC Director Joao Ribeiro said that the money granted by SASOL will be immediately used to provide meals and transport to the returnees, because these are two aspects that represent a heavy burden on the government.