By Levy Masiteng
Police have opened an inquest docket after a foreign national was found dead at a building in central Durban, hours before widespread anti-illegal immigration marches were held in KwaZulu-Natal and across the country.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Durban Central police were investigating after the man was found dead on Margaret Mncadi Avenue on Monday night.
Netshiunda said reports indicated that three foreign nationals had allegedly broken into a storage facility in the building and had been staying there for three days.
On Monday night, the group reportedly heard noises and believed they were being targeted. One of the men fell from the eighth floor and was declared dead at the scene, police said.
Another person fled, while the third remained at the scene.
Police said the immigration status of the deceased and the person who remained behind was still being verified. They have not said the incident was connected to Tuesday’s marches.
The death came against a tense backdrop in Durban and other parts of South Africa, where anti-illegal immigration groups had called June 30 demonstrations demanding tougher action against undocumented foreign nationals.
In Durban, the March and March protest went ahead after talks between organisers and city authorities over the route. The Durban march formed part of nationwide demonstrations that drew thousands of people in several cities and prompted a major security deployment.
Most of Tuesday’s marches were peaceful, although there were isolated reports of looting and attempted looting.
Government leaders and rights groups have warned against scapegoating foreign nationals for crime, unemployment and service delivery failures, while protesters have accused the state of failing to enforce immigration laws.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, Netshiunda said a suspect wanted in connection with two murders was shot and fatally wounded during a shootout with police in Mariannhill in the early hours of Wednesday.
Netshiunda said that the suspect was found after police tracked him to a hideout in the Luganda area of Mariannhill following an intelligence-driven operation.
“Police received intelligence about the whereabouts of the suspect who was linked to two murders which he allegedly committed in the Mpumalanga township of Hammarsdale in December 2021 and June 2026,” said Netshiunda.
Acting on the information, police proceeded to the suspect’s hideout where they attempted to effect an arrest.
However, according to Netshiunda, the suspect allegedly opened fire on officers, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
“When police arrived at his hideout spot at Luganda area in Mariannhill, a shootout ensued between the suspect and police. The suspect was shot and fatally wounded during the shootout. No police officer was injured during the shootout,” he said.
INSIDE METROS
