Xenophobia: another foreigner beaten to death in South Africa by mob of 50

• A foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of about 50 people in Durban, South Africa.

• Police say the attack happened on Thursday, October 22, during a march in the city's central business district.

• The killing comes amid months of anti-immigrant protests and reported attacks on foreigners in South Africa.

A foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of about 50 people in Durban, South Africa, police said.

The attack happened on Thursday, October 22, 2026, in the city's central business district, on the sidelines of a march, according to police. 

The man, who has not been identified and is believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, was standing by the roadside when two men from the group approached him, police said. A larger group of about 50 people then assaulted him.

He was declared dead at the scene, according to a police statement.

Police have opened a murder case but have not given the victim's nationality or a motive for the attack, and are still working to identify suspects. A provincial police spokesperson said officers could not speculate on the motive and would share more once details were verified.

Police did not say what the march was about. Drivers of e-hailing services had marched in the same area on Wednesday, in a demonstration involving the March and March movement, which has mobilised protests against illegal migrants across the country for months, according to AFP.

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

Soldiers were deployed to central Durban on October 10 after two days of rioting in which at least 14 vehicles were burned and foreign-owned businesses were looted or torched.

Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi and other countries have had some of their citizens killed in xenophobic attacks linked to the anti-immigration protests. 

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South African authorities have disputed some of those claims and said some of the deaths were related to criminal activity and not the protests.

In September, at least 12 Nigerians had been killed in South Africa since the start of 2026. Nigeria's Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, said around 112 Nigerians had been killed since 2022, with 32 of them killed by members of South African security forces.

The Federal Government condemned the deaths of three Nigerians in separate incidents in September and demanded thorough, transparent and expeditious investigations. The nationality of the Durban victim had not been disclosed at the time of filing.