The killing in central Durban

Police said on Thursday, 22 October, that a group of about 50 people beat a foreign national to death during a protest march through central Durban, a city of nearly four million people and South Africa's third largest. The man was standing at the side of a road when the march passed. According to police, two people broke away from the procession and approached him, after which a larger group assaulted him. He was declared dead at the scene, and police estimate he was in his 30s or early 40s. His nationality had not been released at the time of the statement.

Police opened a murder investigation and are trying to identify those responsible. Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said several lines of inquiry were being pursued and that the motive had not been established. It is not confirmed whether the killing was directly connected to the anti-migrant protests. Municipal surveillance cameras reportedly recorded the assault, according to newsORF.

Months of anti-migrant marches

Protests against migrants without valid residence papers have run since June, largely organised by the March and March movement, which demands stricter border controls and deportations. The group initially set a 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. In June, thousands of migrants, mainly from Malawi, gathered in a Durban park to seek repatriation, saying they were fleeing threats of violence. The camp grew so quickly that authorities had to set up additional temporary shelters. Police confirmed that at least 14 vehicles were set alight in Durban on 8 October, while shops were looted and buildings damaged.

Soweto, near Johannesburg, also saw serious unrest, and the Independent reported that cars were torched and shops looted there after a court ruling made it easier for foreign citizens to claim asylum. Notícias ao Minuto reported that the army was later deployed to central Durban to support police after two days of looting and arson.

Government response and the death toll debate

AP reported that Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi and other countries said some of their citizens had been killed in xenophobic attacks. South African authorities have disputed some of those claims and said some deaths were linked to criminal activity rather than the protests. Tens of thousands of migrants have left South Africa in recent months, many citing threats of violence from local residents, while the government said many were deported for lacking proper documents. President Cyril Ramaphosa has denounced anti-migrant violence but acknowledged that weak border controls allowed undocumented migrants to enter and stay. Government figures put the foreign population at about 2.4 million, out of a total population of 62 million. Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Ghana have also taken steps to repatriate their citizens.

Economic pressure and what comes next

Africa's largest economy has long drawn migrants, but local communities say there are not enough jobs and public services are overstretched. Notícias ao Minuto put unemployment above 30%, and it reported that xenophobic violence has affected the country for more than 20 years. Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, a leader of March and March, has denied that the movement is xenophobic. On Wednesday, 21 October, ride-hailing drivers marched in the same Durban neighbourhood alongside March and March members. South Africa holds municipal elections on 4 November.