Johannesburg - Somali shop owner Alodixashi Sheik Yusuf's murder case was postponed by the Protea Magistrate's Court on Monday.
Magistrate Herman Badenhorst postponed the matter to 4 February so Yusuf's status in the country could be established.
Yusuf is accused of shooting dead Siphiwe Mahori, 14, in Snake Park, Soweto, last Monday. He allegedly fired at a group of people trying to rob his shop.
Members of the police's tactical task team were in the courtroom.
Yusuf, wearing a jersey and cargo pants, spoke through a Somali interpreter.
His brother, who refused to be named or speak to reporters, was in court accompanied by three Somali men.
The shooting sparked a wave of looting of foreign-owned shops, which spread from Soweto to Kagiso on the West Rand and Sebokeng in the Vaal, causing several deaths, including a baby who was trampled by a group of people running.
Thirty alleged looters were due to appear in the same court on Monday, on charges including possession of stolen goods and public violence.