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South African police have opened a murder investigation after a foreign national was beaten to death by a crowd of approximately 50 people in Durban’s central business district on Thursday morning, October 22, 2026.
The attack occurred on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street amid heightened anti-immigrant tensions in the city.
According to the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal, a group was marching towards Maud Mfusi Street when two men separated from the procession and approached the victim, who was standing beside the road.
Police said a larger crowd then joined the assault. The man, believed to have been in his late 30s or early 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity and nationality had not been released.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda confirmed that investigators were using forensic and other investigative methods to identify those responsible. Police had not established an official motive for the killing.
Authorities also had not confirmed the organisers or purpose of the march from which the attackers reportedly emerged. E-hailing drivers associated with the anti-immigration group March and March had demonstrated in the same area the previous day, but police had not established a connection between that protest and the fatal attack.
Durban has experienced growing unrest linked to demonstrations demanding the removal of undocumented immigrants. Two weeks before the killing, military personnel were deployed to the city centre following violence involving burning vehicles and the looting of foreign-owned businesses.
The unrest has raised concerns about the safety of foreign nationals. Nigeria, Malawi and Zimbabwe have expressed alarm and initiated plans to repatriate citizens as fears of further xenophobic violence grow.
The circumstances surrounding the killing remain under investigation.
Source: Omanghana
