Mozambique says five citizens killed in ‘xenophobic attacks’ in South Africa

Mozambique said five of its citizens were killed in “xenophobic attacks” in South Africa at the weekend, the first deaths officially linked to protests against illegal immigration sweeping the country. About 800 Mozambican nationals were caught up in violence that broke out in the southern coastal city of Mossel Bay on Friday, and 300 returned to their country by their own means on Saturday.

The government statement said seven Mozambican citizens have died, five of them as a direct consequence of the xenophobic attacks and the other two as a result of a road accident when they were travelling in a private vehicle on their way back to Mozambique. The remaining 500 people affected have been sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape province, and the process of their repatriation is under way.

South African police said they were investigating the deaths of two men at an informal settlement in Mossel Bay but did not give details, and it was not immediately clear what nationalities the two men were.

South Africa, Mossel Bay

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