A foreign national has been beaten to death by a mob of about 50 people in Durban, South Africa, amid heightened tensions and protests targeting migrants, police have said.
According to reports, the incident occurred in the city centre on Thursday, on the sidelines of a march whose purpose police said they could not immediately establish.
According to a police statement, two men from the group approached a man believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s who was standing by the roadside.
The victim was subsequently assaulted by a larger group and pronounced dead at the scene.
“It is further alleged that the victim was then assaulted by a group of about 50 people and he was declared dead at the scene,” the police statement said.
Authorities had not confirmed the victim’s nationality or established the motive for the killing as of the report.
The killing comes amid months of demonstrations against foreign nationals in Durban, a major port city that has become a focal point of anti-migrant sentiment.
Drivers working with e-hailing services staged a march in the same area on Wednesday, alongside activities involving the March and March movement, which has organised protests against undocumented migrants across South Africa.
Two weeks earlier, soldiers were deployed to central Durban as police struggled to contain two days of rioting and looting following unrest targeting foreign nationals.
During the violence, 14 vehicles were set ablaze, while businesses were looted or torched.
The latest incident has renewed concerns about the safety of migrants as anti-immigration demonstrations continue in parts of the country.
The violence in Durban echoes earlier protests in South Africa that prompted tens of thousands of nationals from other African countries to flee amid rising hostility towards foreign nationals.
In June, demonstrations organised by anti-migrant groups spread across several South African cities. Police mounted security operations to prevent looting and xenophobic violence, which had claimed four lives, according to an earlier report by AFP.
South Africa has continued to experience tensions over undocumented migration, with protests organised by citizen-led groups and political movements demanding tougher action against migrants without valid residency documents.
However, police had yet to establish whether Thursday’s killing was directly connected to the demonstrations or anti-migrant sentiment.
Authorities were also yet to identify the victim or announce arrests in connection with the attack.
