Poor economics and an unstable political environment in various African countries has been a major factor that has led to the increase in the inflow of migrants into South Africa. This has often placed intense pressure on public resources which has led to tensions and violence in the country. Managing xenophobic tensions and violence in the city has become routinely daunting and a necessary task for police officials. This situation is exacerbated when police stations and courts cannot provide the required service to foreign nationals. In several cases, the challenges of language barriers and resource constraints compound the effective functioning of these important public institutions. This article is an attempt to demystify the issues which give rise to xenophobic violence in general, in South Africa, and particularly in the Durban metropolitan area. The focus is with respect to trigger factors for xenophobic attacks and the nature