Foreign national beaten to death by a mob in South Africa

A foreign national has been beaten to death by a mob in the South African port city of Durban, police said, amid a wave of anti-migrant marches sweeping the country.

According to police, the group approached the man as he stood by the side of a road in Durban's central business district. The victim, a man in his 30s or early 40s whose nationality has not been revealed, was allegedly assaulted by a group of about 50 people and was declared dead at the scene. Police said they were still trying to identify suspects.

Durban has been at the epicentre of months of protests against foreign nationals, with looting and violence erupting after an anti-migrant march in the city two weeks ago. The demonstrations have called for government action against African migrants who entered the country illegally.

Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi and other countries have said some of their citizens have been killed in the violence, though South African authorities have disputed some of those claims, saying some deaths were linked to ordinary crime.

Tens of thousands of migrants have left South Africa in recent months in one of the largest mass exoduses in years to avoid the violence, according to the report. The government has also said many were deported for not having the required papers to be in the country. Government figures show about 2.4 million foreign nationals live among South Africa's population, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has denounced anti-migrant violence.