Foreign national killed as Durban anti-immigrant march turns violent

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A foreign national was beaten to death by a group of about 50 people during a protest march in Durban, police said Thursday, amid escalating anti-immigrant tensions in Africa’s most developed economy.

Police said the group approached the man as the march moved through the center of Durban and attacked him while he stood at the side of a road.

Officers did not immediately disclose the victim’s nationality or explain what the march was about. They said the man was in his 30s or early 40s and that authorities were still working to identify those responsible.

Anti-immigration tensions have grown in South Africa over the past several months. Demonstrations demanding government action against undocumented migrants have sometimes turned violent.

Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi and other countries have said that some of their citizens have been killed in xenophobic attacks linked to anti-immigration protests. South African authorities have disputed some of those claims, saying several of the deaths resulted from criminal activity unrelated to the demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of migrants have left South Africa in recent months in one of the largest mass exoduses in years. Many have cited threats of violence from angry residents, while the government said some were deported for lacking valid documentation.

As Africa’s largest economy, South Africa attracts migrants from across the continent. That influx has sometimes created tensions within communities, particularly amid exceptionally high unemployment and pressure on public services.

Durban, South Africa’s third-largest city with nearly four million residents, has become a focal point of the anti-immigrant unrest that has surged this year.

In June, thousands of migrants, mainly from Malawi, gathered in a park in Durban seeking repatriation. They said they were fleeing threats of violence after a protest group called for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa by June 30.

The camp expanded so rapidly that authorities were forced to build additional temporary accommodation centers to accommodate those staying there.

This month, cars were set on fire and shops were looted in Johannesburg’s Soweto township after a court ruling made it easier for foreign nationals to seek asylum in South Africa. The ruling prompted many applications at government facilities and triggered backlash from some residents.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned violence connected to immigration while also acknowledging longstanding failures in border controls that have allowed migrants to enter and remain in South Africa without proper documentation.

Official government figures list about 2.4 million foreign nationals in a population of 62 million. Protesters contend that many more undocumented migrants are living in South Africa and have not been included in official counts.

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