Mozambique has reported that five of its nationals were killed in what it described as “xenophobic attacks” in South Africa over the weekend, as anti-immigrant violence continues to spread. The Mozambican government's media office stated late Monday that seven citizens had died in Mossel Bay, a coastal town east of Cape Town, with five deaths directly linked to the attacks and two others resulting from a road accident while fleeing.
South African police, however, have only confirmed two Mozambican deaths in Mossel Bay, both from assault. An 18-year-old South African was also found stabbed to death in the same area. The violence, which began on Friday, has seen dozens of shacks torched, some with people inside, according to reports.
Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé expressed “deep concern and dismay” over the attacks, which erupted amid allegations that construction companies were employing undocumented migrants. The Mozambican government said 300 nationals had already returned home, with over 500 more sheltered in the Western Cape awaiting repatriation.
South Africa, the continent's most industrialised economy, has long attracted legal and undocumented African workers, who are sometimes accused by fringe groups of crime and taking jobs. The latest violence comes ahead of local elections in November and follows similar outbreaks in 2008, 2015, and 2016.
