Anti-migrant protests turn violent across South Africa

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 22:25 · Archive

Violent anti-migrant protests have erupted in South African cities following a court ruling on asylum processing.

Anti-migrant protests erupted in South Africa on Thursday in the Johannesburg township of Soweto and the coastal city of Durban, turning violent with cars set alight and foreign-owned businesses looted and forced to close. Police said 10 vehicles were torched in Johannesburg and 14 in Durban, where three people were arrested. In Soweto, residents chased away a shop owner said to be from Somalia and carried away groceries. Police opened fire with rubber bullets in Durban to disperse protesters.

The unrest followed a Constitutional Court decision in July that removes procedural barriers to seeking asylum, including for people who entered South Africa irregularly or missed reporting deadlines. This ruling led hundreds of people, reportedly including those who do not qualify for asylum, to flock to government refugee centres. The government said on Wednesday that the judgement does not grant refugee status or permanent residence automatically to anyone who enters South Africa.

Government spokesperson William Baloyi said the violence was triggered by people spreading deliberately false information about the court ruling. He said the court decision had been widely misrepresented. An Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration held an urgent briefing on Thursday after asylum offices became overwhelmed by incoming applications. South Africa has experienced months of anti-immigrant protests this year.

How it is being reported

• South Africa protests turn violent amid rage over asylum rulingSeveral cars torched and foreign-run businesses forced to shut in Johannesburg's Soweto and coastal city of Durban.Al Jazeera · 8 Oct, 21:43
• South Africa: Anti-migrant protests turn violentA court order requiring the government to resume processing asylum applications reignited violent protests against immigration in South Africa.DW News · 8 Oct, 19:42

In this story: South Africa · Johannesburg · Durban · Soweto · Constitutional Court · William Baloyi

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem