Foreign National Beaten to Death by Mob of 50 in South Africa
A foreign national has died after being attacked by a group of about 50 people in Durban, South Africa, amid growing anti-immigrant protests in the country.
Police said the unidentified man, believed to be between his late 30s and early 40s, was initially approached by two men along a roadside before a larger group joined in and assaulted him. He was declared dead at the scene.
Authorities have begun investigating the killing, but the reason behind the attack has not yet been determined.
Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda told the BBC that investigators were not in a position to speculate on the motive and would provide further details when the information had been confirmed.
The incident comes amid a series of demonstrations against immigrants across South Africa this year, some of which have escalated into violence. Earlier in October, shops and vehicles were reportedly set ablaze in Durban and Soweto, near Johannesburg.
The protests have been driven by calls for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. The South African government has appealed to demonstrators to remain peaceful while recognising calls for changes to the country’s immigration system. It has also reported that tens of thousands of foreign nationals have been deported or returned to their home countries since a crackdown began earlier this year.
March and March, one of the groups organising the demonstrations, had initially given undocumented migrants until June 30 to leave South Africa. Several protests took place before the deadline, amid reports of attacks on people from other African countries.
The developments prompted countries including Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe to take steps to bring some of their citizens home over concerns about further violence.
Nigeria accused South African authorities of being responsible for the deaths of two Nigerian nationals during the period. Ghana also confirmed the death of one of its citizens, Bashiru Isak, a father of three who was fatally shot in Cape Town during demonstrations directed at foreign nationals.
Isak’s death triggered diplomatic tensions between Ghana and South Africa. South African authorities, however, argued that the extent of the violence had been overstated.
Despite the concerns surrounding the protests, one of the leaders of the March and March movement, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, has rejected claims that the group is motivated by hatred towards foreigners.
Speaking to the BBC’s *Focus on Africa* programme, she questioned why the movement was being labelled xenophobic after years of living alongside immigrants.
“We can’t be living with these people for so many years and now when we say it is too much, it is enough, we are told that we are xenophobic,” she said.
South Africa has experienced repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence for almost two decades. In 2008, attacks against foreign nationals left more than 60 people dead and forced tens of thousands from their homes.
The latest unrest is unfolding against a difficult economic background marked by widespread poverty, significant inequality and unemployment affecting approximately one-third of the workforce.
Foreign nationals are often blamed for taking jobs from South Africans, contributing to crime and putting pressure on public services. However, researchers say broad accusations of this nature are not supported by evidence.
Despite these economic and social challenges, South Africa continues to attract migrants from across the continent who travel there in search of jobs, security and improved living conditions.
Source: adomonline
