Crowd of 50 beats foreigner to death in South Africa

In practice, a foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of regarding 50 residents in Durban, South Africa, police say.

Key points

• One of the groups behind the protests, March and March, had initially set a deadline of 30 June for all undocumented migrants to leave South Africa.
• One of the leaders of the March and March movement, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, denied that she was xenophobic.
• Ghana additionally confirmed the death of a citizen, Bashiru Isak, a father of three who was fatally shot in Cape Town during demonstrations targeting foreign nationals.
• These prompted a number of countries, including Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Ghana, to take steps to repatriate their citizens against the backdrop of fears of further violence.
• The killing follows a wave of protests against immigrants in South Africa this year, some of which have turned violent.

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 being assaulted by a larger group. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have introduced an investigation into the murder, with the motive yet to be established.

Meanwhile, the killing follows a wave of protests against immigrants in South Africa this year, some of which have turned violent. As well as Soweto, near Johannesburg, earlier this month, shops and cars were set on fire in Durban.

Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda informed the BBC they cannot speculate on the motive for the killing in Durban and that more information would be shared once verified.

'We have to prioritise South Africans': Anti-migrant movement blocks foreigners from healthcare. The uniformed group targeting foreigners in South Africa.

While additionally accepting the need for immigration reforms, the administration has called on the demonstrators to act peacefully. It notes tens of thousands of foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since it rolled out a crackdown earlier this year.

In practice, a number of protests were held ahead of that deadline, with reports of attacks on residents from other African countries.

Nigeria accused South African authorities of responsibility for the deaths of two of its citizens that month.

His death led to a diplomatic row with South Africa. It remarked the scale of the violence had been exaggerated.

"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 informed the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

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

For context, the latest unrest comes against a backdrop of widespread poverty, deep inequality and unemployment affecting roughly a third of the workforce.

Although researchers say such sweeping claims are not backed by evidence, migrants are frequently accused of taking jobs, contributing to crime and placing pressure on public services.

Despite its economic difficulties, South Africa remains one of the continent's main destinations for migrants seeking employment, safety and better opportunities. Extra reporting by Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg. More from South Africa on the BBC.

'They came with machetes' – deadline looms for migrants to leave South Africa.

For context, the king's speech – and why it has foreigners in South Africa worried.

Go to BBCAfrica.com, external for more news from the African continent.

Taken together, the developments around crowd of 50 beats foreigner to death in South Africa point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.