South African police investigate murder amid rise in anti-migrant attacks

Anti-migrant protest groups have demanded that undocumented foreigners leave the country by June 30.

Police in South Africa are investigating the murder of a foreign national in the city of Pietermaritzburg, near Durban, where hundreds of Malawians rushed to be repatriated due to fears of anti-migrant attacks.

A 29-year-old Malawian national was attacked and died after a protest in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, a local councillor told AFP on Tuesday.

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South Africa is tightening security across the country ahead of a June 30 deadline set by anti-migrant protest groups for undocumented foreigners to leave.

South Africa has been plagued by weeks of xenophobic attacks that have left at least two people dead and seen many African countries sending aircraft to repatriate thousands of their nationals fleeing the violence.

“His family identified him; he is a Malawian national,” Councillor Suraya Reddy said on Tuesday about the death in Pietermaritzburg. Police said they could not confirm the man’s nationality until “authorities from his own country” had been informed.

The Malawian government said it was investigating reports that one of its nationals had been killed. Police said a mob attacked a man who escaped to an informal settlement but then “slipped into the river”.

“He was found on the riverbend with a cut on the head and injuries on the mouth,” a police statement said, reporting that a murder case had been opened and the circumstances were under investigation.

Hundreds of Malawians have been gathering at a centre in Pietermaritzburg, in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, since Friday, seeking repatriation. The latest tensions come as parties campaign ahead of local government elections scheduled for November 4. During voter registration at the weekend, gunmen shot dead four people linked with political parties.

The small but organised protest groups have issued an ultimatum for undocumented migrants from countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi and Mozambique to exit the country or face consequences, a demand with no legal basis.

This is far from the first time there has been violent unrest against foreigners and foreign-owned businesses in South Africa. More than 60 people were killed in anti-migrant riots in 2008, with more violence in 2015 and 2016. In 2019, armed mobs attacked foreign-owned businesses around Johannesburg, leaving at least 12 people dead.