Durban, a coastal city in the eastern part of South Africa, witnessed a tragic incident of fatal violence on Thursday, October 22nd, where a foreign man was beaten to death by around 50 individuals on the street.
According to local media reports, the attackers were reportedly participating in an anti-immigrant demonstration, and the police have initiated an investigation into the incident.
As per information from the South African news website GroundUp, Robert Netshiunda, a spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police, stated that the incident occurred when a group of people was marching from Dr Pixley kaSeme Street to Maud Mfusi Street in downtown Durban. Two men separated from the group and approached the victim, following which approximately 50 individuals surrounded and violently attacked him, resulting in his death. The police have not yet disclosed the identity and nationality of the deceased.
A security guard, who preferred to remain anonymous, informed GroundUp that the attackers were targeting immigrants during the incident. The victim was possibly discovered around 7 am while walking to work and was subsequently assaulted. The security guard mentioned that in the past few weeks, nearby businesses and residents have been harassed by anti-immigrant groups, leading some South African shop owners to close early out of fear of being mistaken for foreigners.
When GroundUp reporters visited the location where the man was attacked, they observed the presence of police and South African National Defense Force members on the scene.
On Wednesday, another Ugandan man was also assaulted by a mob in Durban.
Durban has recently witnessed multiple incidents of anti-immigrant protests and violence. One of the contributing factors was the guideline issued by the South African Department of Home Affairs on September 28th following a Constitutional Court ruling, which stated that authorities should not reject asylum seekers’ applications solely on technical grounds. The guideline was later rescinded on October 9th.