A mass meeting will be held on Tuesday evening in Durban's Albert Park to discuss recent vicious attacks on foreign nationals in the area.

Albert Park councillor Vusi Khoza said the meeting would try to find ways of dealing with the attacks.

"We will have representatives from the community policing forum, the police and foreign nationals during the meeting. We want to find a solution to this problem and to explain to our people that these attacks should stop," said Khoza.

At least three foreign nationals have died amid renewed tensions between locals and foreigners in Albert Park.

According to police reports, a Malawian, Mozambican and a Zimbabwean fell to the deaths on Sunday when they tried to escape from their attackers — about 150 people carrying weapons such as bush knives. The mob entered a high rise building inhabited by foreigners, forcing several to flee by jumping out of windows.

The Malawian man died after jumping from the sixth storey while two others sustained serious injuries. The other two later died at Durban's Addington Hospital.

The incident happened six months after the wave of xenophobic attacks which happened throughout South Africa. At least 60 people were killed and about 100 000 displaced during the attacks.

Khoza said he had been approached by foreign nationals on Friday, complaining that a plan was being hatched to attack them. Police were informed about the concerns raised by foreigners, Khoza said.

"The foreigners also called me on Saturday and I tried to calm people down. When they called me again on Sunday night, the situation had got worse. One person was dead and others injured," he said.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Superintendent Vincent Mdunge, said no one had been arrested in connection with the attacks.

"Although the people who have been attacked are foreigners, we do not know whether the attacks were xenophobic. We are still investigating," said Mdunge.

The chairperson of the International Refugee Service, Omar Osman, said the attacks had targeted foreigners.

"We have heard excuses that the attackers were looking for criminals.That is a blatant lie," he said.

Osman said when the attackers stormed the building, they were shouting "we want amakwerekwere".

Amakwerekwere is a derogatory term for foreigners used by South Africans.

Osman said that more than 10 foreign nationals sustained serious injuries during that attack.

"Most of them broke their legs," he said.

Sapa

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