Foreign National Beaten to Death by Crowd of About 50 in Central Durban

South African police said on Thursday, October 22, that they are investigating the killing of a foreign national who was beaten by a crowd of about 50 people in central Durban. The man, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, was declared dead at the scene. Police did not release his nationality.

What police say happened

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a group of people was marching along Dr Pixley kaSeme Street toward Maud Mfusi Street in the city centre when two men broke away from the group and approached a man standing at the roadside. The man was then assaulted by a group of about 50 people, Netshiunda said.

Police have opened a murder case. Netshiunda said police are following several leads and using all investigative aids to identify possible suspects. He said the motive for the killing is unknown at this stage, and he urged people not to spread unverified information about the incident.

The march a day earlier

The killing came a day after the anti-illegal immigration group March and March held a motorcade through Durban on Wednesday, October 21. E-hailing drivers, vehicle owners and supporters of the campaign took part, starting at Berea Centre, an area where many foreign nationals live.

Inside Politic reported that a different man was assaulted by a mob on the sidelines of that protest on Wednesday afternoon, and that his condition remains unclear. Netshiunda did not mention that assault in his statement. On Wednesday night, March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma told supporters the group threatened a shutdown on November 10 over the government's handling of asylum applications.

Weeks of tension over asylum

The killing follows months of anti-migrant protests in South Africa, some of which have turned violent and drawn international criticism. Thousands of migrants from elsewhere in Africa have fled affected communities, Reuters reported.

About two weeks ago, anti-immigration demonstrations in Durban turned violent. Protesters targeted foreign-owned businesses, looted shops and set vehicles alight. Police said at the time that at least 14 vehicles were burnt after violence erupted near the Department of Home Affairs offices, and three foreign nationals were arrested in connection with an alleged assault on a protester. Demonstrations in Durban and in Johannesburg's Soweto township earlier this month also turned violent, with foreign-owned businesses looted and vehicles set alight after protests against the processing of asylum applications at a refugee reception centre.

March and March has been protesting against a Home Affairs directive that put into effect a Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers could not be denied access to the asylum process only because they had entered South Africa illegally. The department withdrew the directive after the violent protests in Durban and Johannesburg. Home Affairs has said the court ruling does not give undocumented migrants automatic legal status in South Africa.