GROUNDUP: Mob beats immigrant man to death in central Durban

An immigrant man was beaten to death by a group of about 50 people in central Durban on Thursday morning, 22 October 2026.

The man, who has not yet been named by police, was accosted by a group marching on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street towards Maud Mfusi Street, according to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda. A murder case has been opened.

Two men split off from the group and approached the man, said Netshiunda. Then, about 50 people assaulted him, leading to his death.

A security guard, who asked to stay anonymous, told GroundUp that the group was targeting immigrants. He said the man was probably walking to work at around 7am when he was spotted and attacked by the group.

The guard said shop owners and residents in the area had been terrorised for weeks by groups of roaming vigilantes. He said SAPS and metro officers were hardly visible and had done little to intervene.

The guard said that even South African shop owners had begun closing their doors, fearing they might be mistaken for immigrants.

When GroundUp visited the area where the man was fatally assaulted, we saw police and SANDF members.

On Wednesday, 21 October, a Ugandan man was assaulted by a mob in Durban. 

Anti-immigration protests in Durban reignited after Home Affairs issued a directive on 28 September implementing a Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers cannot be turned away on technicalities before their claims are heard. Home Affairs withdrew the directive on 9 October.

Violence erupted on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street two weeks ago during a march by hundreds of anti-immigrant protesters.

A group of anti-immigrant protesters was gathering on Che Guevara Road outside the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Thursday afternoon. It was unclear if they planned to march into the city centre later. DM