A foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of about 50 people in central Durban, South African police say. The killing happened on Thursday morning, 22 October, as anti-migrant marches continue in the city.

Police have not named the man or given his nationality. He was believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, according to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, whose statement was reported by News24, TimesLIVE, the BBC and Al Jazeera.

What police say happened

According to Netshiunda, a group was marching along Dr Pixley kaSeme Street towards Maud Mfusi Street when two men broke away from the crowd and approached the man, who was standing at the roadside. A larger group of about 50 people then assaulted him, and he was declared dead at the scene.

Police have opened a murder case. Netshiunda said officers were following several leads to identify suspects (News24, 263Chat). No arrests had been reported when we checked on Friday morning; see the 16:45 update below.

The motive is not yet known, police said. Netshiunda told the BBC that police could not speculate on why the man was killed and would share more once it was verified, and he urged people not to spread unverified information (News24, TimesLIVE). TimesLIVE described the killing as an "apparent xenophobic attack". Daily Maverick/GroundUp quoted an anonymous security guard who said the group was targeting immigrants and that the man was probably on his way to work at about 7am.

Other incidents in Durban this week

On Wednesday, 21 October, a Ugandan man was assaulted by a mob in Durban, Daily Maverick/GroundUp reported.

On Thursday, the same group of protesters allegedly breached the VFS visa office in Essenwood, News24 reported.

TimesLIVE reported that protesters allegedly stormed a visa and permit office in Morningside on Thursday morning, citing private security.

Why it matters

The killing comes after months of protests against foreign nationals in South Africa, some of which have turned violent. Earlier this month, shops and vehicles were set alight in Durban after an anti-migrant march, the BBC, Al Jazeera and 263Chat reported. Daily Maverick/GroundUp said that violence broke out on the same street two weeks ago.

The BBC noted that Zimbabwe was among several countries, along with Nigeria and Ghana, that moved to repatriate citizens amid fears of further violence. Al Jazeera reported that Nigeria, Mozambique and Malawi have said some of their citizens have been killed in what it called xenophobic attacks. South Africa has a long history of such violence: the BBC recalled that more than 60 people were killed in attacks on foreign nationals in 2008.

Many Zimbabwean families have relatives living and working in Durban and across KwaZulu-Natal. Police have asked the public to rely on verified information while the investigation continues.

What we don't know yet

The man's name and nationality. Police have not released either.

Whether any of the five men taken in for questioning will be charged. Police have not named them.

Whether the Zimbabwean government or embassy has issued any advice to citizens in Durban. We have seen no statement.

Sources: News24 (Sakhiseni Nxumalo), 22 Oct 2026: https://www.news24.com/southafrica/crime-and-courts/foreign-national-beaten-to-death-in-durban-cbd-20261022-0536 · TimesLIVE, 22 Oct 2026: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-10-22-murder-case-opened-after-man-assaulted-by-a-group-in-durban/ · BBC News (Ondiro Oganga), 22 Oct 2026: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ck5yn9z3vnego · Al Jazeera, 22 Oct 2026: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/22/foreign-national-beaten-to-death-by-a-mob-in-south-africa · Daily Maverick/GroundUp (Joseph Bracken, Tsoanelo Sefoloko), 22 Oct 2026: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-22-mob-beats-immigrant-man-to-death-in-central-durban/ · 263Chat, 23 Oct 2026: https://www.263chat.com/fresh-fears-for-migrants-after-fatal-mob-attack-in-south-africa/ · IOL, 23 Oct 2026: https://iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/2026-10-23-five-men-taken-in-for-questioning-over-murder-of-foreign-national-during-durban-protests/ · The Citizen (Chulumanco Mahamba), 23 Oct 2026: https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/crime/five-held-after-foreign-national-beaten-to-death-during-durban-march/ · TimesLIVE, 23 Oct 2026: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-10-23-five-men-held-over-murder-and-attacks-on-foreign-nationals-in-durban/