A British man is among five people who have been shot dead in protests in South Africa.

The 40-year-old victim, who was reportedly a doctor on holiday in the country, was killed in the Ntlangano Crescent area of Cape Town last Thursday, officials said.

It is believed he had taken a wrong turn from a nearby airport while driving with two other people. A group then approached the vehicle and shot him.

Five separate murders have been recorded during unrest sparked by a week-long strike by minibus taxi drivers.

The protests on the outskirts of the country’s second-largest city have seen stone-throwing, road blockades, looting, arson and public violence, the South African Police Service said.

The taxis’ national union, which is angry at what it calls heavy-handed tactics by police and city authorities in impounding vehicles, said its members are not instigating violence.

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A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in South Africa and are in contact with the local authorities.”

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