-by Newsbreak's Taresh Harreeparshad. 

"I'm not speaking to you, I am speaking to the Africans" This statement sparked a lot of tension in Durban- after a video went viral showing Ethekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba saying these words to an Indian-origin man in Sherwood, where hundreds of foreign nationals were being repatriated.

It is understood that the man was in fact South African. The Mayors office says- they didn't know this.

But the issue- in a time when South Africa is experiencing heightened tensions between foreign nationals and local residents- has sparked a tough debate about who exactly is considered an African?

6 Degree Shift director Dr. Rama Naidu and Political expert Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu helped us make sense of this question...