Xenophobic attacks in South Africa kill three

A wave of xenophobic violence in the South African city of Durban has left at least three people dead, reports say.

File image of His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini, King of the Zulu nation, and his wife the Queen.

At least three people described as foreign nationals have been killed in a wave of xenophobic violence in the the South African city of Durban, reports say.

Residents looted shops owned by foreigners on Thursday, with one Somali shopkeeper now fighting for his life, the newspaper Business Day reported on Friday.

Hundreds of people from Malawi, Burundi, Zimbabwe and Congo have reportedly fled their homes in the past two weeks.

Several arrests have been made, a police spokesman was quoted as saying.

The rioting followed comments by Goodwill Zwelithini, king of the Zulu ethnic group and figurehead of the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, who criticised the presence of immigrants in South Africa.

Zwelithini later said his comments had been misinterpreted and that he had only criticised high crime levels, according to the broadcaster eNCA.

More than 60 people died in xenophobic attacks that swept the country in 2008. Economically disadvantaged South Africans see foreigners as competing with them for business and jobs.