The killing of 10 foreigners sparks a crisis between South Africa and the World Health Organization.”

Written by: Ayman Ragab

South Africa has rejected accusations by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus regarding the killing of 10 foreigners in the latest wave of violence linked to anti-immigration protests.

Amid growing international condemnation of these protests, the investigation into Ghebreyesus's statements revealed an overlap between organized killings unrelated to the events and conflicting figures regarding the number of victims in Mossel Bay.

On June 14, 2026, Ghebreyesus published a statement via his official X platform account, in which he condemned the protests that witnessed several incidents of civil unrest.

In April, the town of Kogombo in the Eastern Cape province saw looting of shops following protests against the installation of a self-proclaimed Nigerian “king,” while events in late May in Mossel Bay led to the displacement of at least 400 foreigners. Since then, protests have continued, with numbers ranging from dozens to hundreds of participants.

Ghebreyesus began his statement by saying that South Africa is witnessing a new wave of xenophobic violence, noting that hundreds have demonstrated in front of Parliament, thousands of families have been displaced, and deaths have occurred.

He added that among the victims were at least five Ethiopians and five Mozambicans who died in Mossel Bay, while thousands of others fled in fear for their lives.

This statement represents the latest in a series of widespread international condemnations of the escalating anti-immigrant protests in the country.

In April, the Nigerian government announced the deaths of two of its citizens during similar unrest, before later retracting the statement after it became clear that the two incidents were not related to those protests, but rather to separate events, including alleged clashes with the South African National Defence Force and the Tshwane Capital Police Department.

Since then, Nigeria has hinted at the possibility of retaliating against South Africa for the attacks on its citizens, without specifying the nature of this retaliation.

The South African government confirmed it has repatriated at least 2,745 foreign nationals, while some 7,000 Malawians are gathered in Sherwood Park in Durban awaiting voluntary repatriation, amid fears of a nationwide strike planned for June 30 by the March and March movement. More than 1,000 Malawians have also fled their homes in KwaZulu-Natal following local demands for them to leave.

The “March and March” movement is one of the most prominent groups behind these protests, calling on undocumented foreigners to leave the country before the end of the month, blaming them for exacerbating crises such as unemployment and crime.

Although violence-related deaths were recorded in Mossel Bay in late May, the figures cited by Ghebreyesus sparked controversy. The South African government, in a statement issued on June 15, asserted that the WHO's characterization was "inaccurate.".

According to investigations by the Daily Maverick, no credible reports were found of five Ethiopians being killed in protest-related incidents, although five of them were killed in April 2026 in downtown Johannesburg in incidents suspected to be linked to organized crime.

Four of those crimes occurred within 48 hours, and experts at the time suggested links to criminal gangs and human trafficking and extortion networks.

No evidence has emerged linking these incidents to anti-immigrant sentiment, while the government has confirmed that these incidents fall under the category of organized crime and are still under investigation.

As for the killing of five Mozambicans in Mossel Bay, this figure was based on preliminary data issued by the Mozambican government on June 2, before being denied later by the South African police, who confirmed that only two Mozambicans were killed in addition to a South African citizen.

Police explained that they found the body of a 27-year-old man with multiple injuries in the early hours of Saturday morning, before later announcing the death of another person from injuries sustained in an attack. The two victims, aged 27 and 43, were identified as Mozambican nationals.

The South African government's statement regarding these incidents was vague, merely indicating that the matter was still under investigation.

The Mozambican High Commission in Pretoria was also contacted to verify the figures, but no response has been received so far, while South African police referred inquiries to the government statement.

The Daily Maverick has contacted the World Health Organization for comment, and the report will be updated if any response is received.