Mob of 50 Beats Foreigner to Death in Durban as Anti-Migrant Violence Erupts Again

A foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of roughly 50 people in Durban, South African police say.

According to police, the unidentified man believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s was first approached by two men by the roadside before a larger group joined in the assault. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have opened a murder investigation, but the motive has not yet been established. Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda told the BBC they cannot speculate on why the man was attacked and that more information would be shared once verified.

The killing follows a wave of anti-immigrant protests across South Africa this year, some of which have turned violent. Earlier this month, shops and cars were set on fire in Durban and in Soweto, near Johannesburg.

One of the groups behind the demonstrations, March and March, had initially set a deadline of 30 June for all undocumented migrants to leave the country. Several protests were held ahead of that deadline, with reports of attacks on people from other African countries.

Those attacks prompted several nations including Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Ghana to repatriate citizens amid fears of further violence. Nigeria accused South African authorities of responsibility for the deaths of two of its citizens that month. Ghana confirmed the death of Bashiru Isak, a father of three who was fatally shot in Cape Town during demonstrations targeting foreign nationals. His death sparked a diplomatic row, with South Africa saying the scale of the violence had been exaggerated.

Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, one of the leaders of March and March, denied that she was xenophobic. "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 told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

South Africa has struggled with xenophobic attacks for nearly two decades. In 2008, more than 60 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced during widespread attacks on foreign nationals.

The latest unrest comes against a backdrop of widespread poverty, deep inequality and unemployment affecting roughly a third of the workforce. Migrants are frequently accused of taking jobs, contributing to crime and placing pressure on public services though researchers say such sweeping claims are not supported by evidence.

Despite its economic difficulties, South Africa remains one of the continent's main destinations for migrants seeking employment, safety and better opportunities.

The government has urged demonstrators to act peacefully while acknowledging the need for immigration reforms. It says tens of thousands of foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since it launched a crackdown earlier this year.