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Mozambique’s government has said five of its citizens were killed during “xenophobic attacks” in South Africa over the weekend.
Authorities said around 800 Mozambican nationals were affected by the violence in Mossel Bay, a coastal city in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.
In a statement on Tuesday, the government said seven Mozambicans died in total, explaining that five were killed in xenophobic attacks while two others died in a road accident while returning to Mozambique.
The statement noted that about 300 citizens had already returned home voluntarily, while more than 500 others were being accommodated in a safe location as repatriation efforts continued.
“Regrettably, 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,” said the statement.
“The remaining just over 500 have since been sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape Province, and as of today, 1 June, the process of their repatriation to Mozambique is already underway,” it said.
It added that arrangements were ongoing to bring the remaining nationals back to Mozambique from the Western Cape.
South African police said on Sunday that they were investigating the deaths of two men found at an informal settlement in Mossel Bay following reports of unrest in the area, but did not confirm their identities or nationality.
Local authorities expressed concern over rising tensions in the region, where there had been reports of violence, destruction of property and displacement of residents.
South Africa has experienced repeated waves of xenophobic violence in recent years, often linked to economic frustration and political mobilisation against migrants. Similar outbreaks occurred in 2008, 2015 and 2021, resulting in deaths and displacement of foreign nationals.
The latest unrest follows increased political activity ahead of local government elections scheduled for November.
