A large gang of Durban taxi drivers turned on two men from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the Clermont taxi rank in the city centre on Tuesday.

The informal traders were approaching the rank when the men shouted at them and demanded to know if they knew the isiZulu word for elbow, indololwane.

The French-speaking men were surrounded by the drivers and one was severely beaten. The other got away.

Gabriel Rashidi, 18, who escaped, said he arrived in South Africa two weeks ago after his family was killed by rebel forces when he refused to join their ranks.

One taxi driver said they had turned on foreigners because they had been spurred on by events in Johannesburg.

"We do not want foreigners here. They must go back to their countries," he said.

The man accused the foreigners of selling drugs and being criminals.

This was the second such attack in KwaZulu-Natal in the past four days after three Mozambicans were attacked at the Cato Crest informal settlement, in Cato Manor, at the weekend.

Mozambican Pedro Langu, 21, said a group of men carrying knives had called them amakwerekwere (foreigners) and told them to return to Mozambique. Langu and his friends were assaulted and robbed.

Police Dir Phindile Radebe said she was unaware of xenophobic attacks in KZN and there was no need for contingency measures to prevent the violence in Gauteng from spilling over into the province.

"We are capable of dealing with any situation that might arise," she said.

Sociologist and violence monitor Mary de Haas warned that given the present reign of terror unleashed against foreigners in Gauteng, there was a "very real possibility" of copycat attacks spreading.

She has written to KZN police commissioner Hamilton Ngidi about the Mozambican case, asking that he issue "immediate instructions to all stations in the province that all possible assistance must be given to anyone reporting such crimes, and that immediate steps must be taken to prevent the spread of any further such attacks".

Walter, a Zimbabwean who has been living in Durban since November, says he came in search of a better life but now fears for his life.

"One day they (the attackers) might want to live in the countries of the people they are attacking and then people might want to take revenge. They should learn to live with us. Most people are here because of factors beyond their control," he said.

The provincial manager of the SA Human Rights Commission in KZN, Tanuja Munnoo, said the commission would meet other civil society groups on Saturday to discuss the challenges faced by foreigners.

Munnoo said there was an issue of "intolerance and attitudes" and the organisations were concerned that it might spiral out of control, like it had in Gauteng.

KZN Taxi Council chairperson Bhungane Hadebe condemned the Clermont incident.

"We do not condone this behaviour and we will speak to our members. We would also like to extend our sincere apologies to those who were victimised," he said.

Meanwhile, widespread condemnation of the attacks continued with ANC president Jacob Zuma calling it "nothing but thuggery and criminality".

The IFP's Velaphi Ndlovu said earlier this week that the ANC and IFP in Gauteng agreed that the violence was "prominently" driven by criminal elements.

He said the IFP had warned its members that disciplinary steps would be taken if they were involved in the attacks.

The KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders said it had dispatched amakhosi to Gauteng to call for calm in the affected communities.

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