A foreign national was beaten to death by a group of about 50 people during a march through Durban's city centre on Thursday 22 October 2026, according to KwaZulu-Natal police.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a murder case has been opened. At the time of writing, police had not named the man, said what his nationality was or confirmed any arrests. Anyone accused of the killing is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What happened
Police said the man was standing at the side of a road when he was approached by the group. Netshiunda said two men split off and approached him before about 50 people assaulted him. Police described him as being in his 30s or early 40s.
The attack took place on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street as the group marched towards Maud Mfusi Street. A security guard who did not give his name said it happened at about 7am and that the man was probably on his way to work. The guard said the group was targeting immigrants. That account has not been independently confirmed.
Reporters at the scene saw police and soldiers present. Almost every shop in the area stayed closed for the day, according to a photographer's caption.
Background
The killing follows weeks of anti-immigrant protests in the city. The Department of Home Affairs issued a directive on 28 September to implement a Constitutional Court ruling on asylum seekers. It withdrew the directive on 9 October. Protests reignited in between.
Violence erupted on the same street about two weeks earlier during a march by hundreds of protesters. On Thursday afternoon, anti-immigrant protesters also gathered on Che Guevara Road outside the Home Affairs refugee reception centre. It was unclear whether they planned to march into the city centre.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned immigration-related violence. Nigeria, Mozambique and Malawi have said some of their citizens were killed in protest-linked attacks; South African authorities dispute some of those claims and say some deaths were criminal, according to published coverage.
