A man who was beaten, stabbed and castrated before being thrown down a five-metre-deep manhole was in a stable condition in the Johannesburg hospital on Monday night, emergency management services reported.

Police spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said the incident occurred in a veld at City Deep on Monday afternoon.

Midgley said it appeared that the 30-year-old man was beaten up by a group of people after they apparently argued over his living arrangements at his squatter camp.

He said one person involved in the incident was arrested at the scene. - Sapa