Cameroonian Franklin Mufor stabbed to death in Pretoria as family seeks answers

The 40-year-old was found dead after leaving home to charge his phone nearby. His killing comes amid growing regional concern over violence against African migrants in South Africa.

Cameroonian national Franklin Mufor has been stabbed to death in Pretoria, South Africa, leaving his family waiting for answers as police investigate the killing.

The 40-year-old’s body was discovered on Tuesday, September 15, after he left the flat he shared with another person to charge his mobile phone at a nearby location because there was no electricity at home.

Franklin Mufor killed after leaving home to charge his phone

Mufor suffered multiple stab wounds. His relatives confirmed his identity and provided MMI News with photographs taken before his death, as well as an image from where his body was found.

“My brother was killed in South Africa,” a family member told MMI News, describing the situation as deeply distressing and appealing for his death to receive wider public attention.

Mufor’s remains have not yet been released to the family. They are being held while police carry out the necessary investigative procedures.

The motive for the killing has not been established, and no arrest has been announced.

His death comes during a year in which Africans living in South Africa have faced killings, assaults, threats, forced removals and the destruction of their homes and businesses. Police have not indicated whether Mufor’s nationality had any connection to his killing.

Cameroonians and other African migrants targeted in South Africa

In April, a 43-year-old Cameroonian shop owner in Durban was attacked during protests directed at foreign-owned businesses.

The man, who had lived in South Africa for almost 20 years and was married to a South African woman, told Human Rights Watch that about 10 men forced their way into his shop on April 17.

He and three foreign colleagues were beaten with golf clubs and heavy whips. The attackers also used pepper spray and stun guns. He said nobody came to their assistance and that he did not report the attack because he had lost confidence in the criminal justice system.

The attackers did not ask whether he had legal immigration documents before assaulting him.

Ghanaians have faced similar intimidation. In April, Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa summoned South Africa’s envoy after videos of violent confrontations involving foreign nationals circulated online.

One Ghanaian was confronted in KwaZulu-Natal, ordered to produce immigration documents and told to leave South Africa and “fix his country”. South African authorities subsequently promised action against people attacking or intimidating migrants.

In May, anti-migrant demonstrators broke into and looted a hair salon belonging to Princess Adjei, a 33-year-old Ghanaian who had lived in South Africa since she was a toddler.

Adjei had attended South African schools and spoke Zulu. After losing her business and income, she and her 14-year-old son were forced to sleep on the street because she could no longer pay her rent, Reuters reported.

At the end of May, Mozambique said five of its citizens had been killed during anti-immigrant violence in Mossel Bay. South African police confirmed finding the bodies of two Mozambican men with assault injuries and a South African teenager who had been stabbed.

About 55 shacks were also burnt during the violence. Three hundred Mozambicans returned home by their own means, while the government arranged the repatriation of hundreds more.

A 29-year-old Malawian was killed following an anti-migrant protest in Pietermaritzburg in June. Police said a mob attacked a man who fled towards an informal settlement. He was later found beside a river with injuries to his head and mouth.

A murder investigation was opened as hundreds of Malawians gathered in Pietermaritzburg seeking help to return home.

Congolese refugees were also driven from their homes and businesses in Durban. Many had lived in South Africa for years after fleeing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Families with children slept outside a refugee reception centre after losing their homes and livelihoods.

Nigeria reported that two of its nationals were killed on June 28, shortly before an unofficial deadline set by anti-migrant groups for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa. Abuja said one victim was killed by police and the other by unidentified attackers.

Two more Nigerian deaths were reported in September. Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle was killed at his home in Kensington, Johannesburg, on September 4.

James Uchechukwu Nwankwo died in Cape Town the following day after what Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry described as abusive interrogation methods used by South African police officers.

Nigeria said the two deaths raised questions about the safety of foreigners and the willingness of South African authorities to stop attacks against them.

Killings and xenophobic attacks trigger diplomatic fallout

Several African governments have evacuated citizens, summoned South African diplomats or demanded stronger action from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government.

Nigeria says at least 98 of its citizens have died in South Africa since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related violence and extrajudicial killings.

In July, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola travelled to Abuja for talks after Nigerian officials questioned whether repeated police failures to protect migrants amounted to state complicity.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, said suspected criminals should be arrested and prosecuted rather than subjected to mob violence. Lamola said South Africa opposed xenophobia, racism and discrimination.

The dispute escalated on September 11 when Nigeria’s parliament suspended official visits to South Africa and barred lawmakers from attending legislative activities hosted by South African institutions.

The decision does not apply to meetings involving the Nigerian government. Nigerian officials said 1,695 citizens had voluntarily left South Africa during 2026.

Ghana has repatriated hundreds of its citizens and sought to place xenophobic violence in South Africa on the African Union’s agenda.

Two Ghanaian nationals, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah and Emmanuel Kotin, also petitioned the International Criminal Court in July. They alleged that repeated killings, assaults, looting and forced displacement of African migrants could amount to crimes against humanity.

The petition was submitted by the two men rather than the Ghanaian government. South Africa rejected their allegations and said its domestic laws provide protection against discrimination.

Ramaphosa has condemned vigilantism and warned that private groups have no authority to enforce immigration laws or demand identity documents. His government also announced plans to send envoys to other African countries to address the diplomatic damage.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres have called on South Africa to protect foreign nationals, investigate attacks and hold those responsible to account.

Mufor’s family waits for answers from investigators

South Africa is also confronting a wider violent-crime crisis affecting citizens and foreign nationals. Official statistics indicate that the country records about 60 murders each day.

Police are currently investigating the discovery of nine women’s bodies across Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, during the past two months. Those killings have no known connection to Mufor’s death or the attacks on migrants.

For Mufor’s family, the immediate questions concern what happened after he left home to charge his phone, who attacked him and why.

They are waiting for his remains to be released and want those responsible for his killing identified and brought to justice.

MMI News