By Des Erasmus
A foreign national was beaten to death by a mob of about 50 people in central Durban on Thursday morning, a day after anti-illegal immigration protesters and e-hailing drivers staged a motorcade through the city.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the victim, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, was attacked while a group of people marched along Dr Pixley kaSeme Street towards Maud Mfusi Street.
“Two males reportedly pulled off from the group and approached a man who was on the roadside. 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,” Netshiunda said.
Police have opened a murder investigation.
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“Police are following several leads and using all investigative aids to identify possible suspects. The motive of the killing is unknown at this stage and community members are urged not to spread unverified information,” he said.
The killing followed a motorcade organised by anti-illegal immigration group March and March on Wednesday, which brought e-hailing drivers, vehicle owners and supporters of the campaign onto Durban’s streets, starting at Berea Centre, an area in which many foreign nationals live.
A different man is understood to have been assaulted on Wednesday afternoon by a mob on the sidelines of that protest. His condition remains unclear. Netshiunda did not mention that assault in his statement, and had not responded to questions about the incident at the time of publication.
Addressing supporters and those who took part in the demonstration on Wednesday night, March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma threatened a shutdown on 10 November over the government’s handling of asylum applications.
Thursday’s killing comes just two weeks after violent clashes during anti-immigration demonstrations in Durban, when protesters targeted foreign-owned businesses, looted shops and set vehicles alight.
Police said at the time that at least 14 vehicles had been burnt after violence erupted near the Department of Home Affairs offices. Three foreign nationals were arrested in connection with an alleged assault on a protester.
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March and March has been protesting against a Home Affairs directive implementing a Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers could not be denied access to the asylum process solely because they had entered South Africa illegally.
The department subsequently withdrew the directive after the aforementioned violent protests in Durban, and in Johannesburg, which also turned violent.
Home Affairs has made clear that the court ruling does not grant undocumented migrants automatic legal status in South Africa.
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