Violence Erupts in South Africa Amid Anti-migrant Protests
WHO:
ABC News - Acting national police commissioner Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane stated that public-order police deployments had been reinforced in areas facing unrest.
ABC News - Community leader Tshepo Mposula described the demonstration and its escalation.
ABC News - KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col. Robert Netshiunda reported on arrests related to the protests.
WHAT:
IJR - Home Affairs withdrew its Sept. 28 asylum directive after offices were overwhelmed.
ABC News - Riot police were deployed to the city center of Durban as smoke billowed over parts of downtown during the protests.
ABC News - At least 24 vehicles were burned and shops looted during protests over a court ruling easing access to asylum.
ABC News - 10 vehicles were torched in Johannesburg’s Soweto township and 14 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province.
ABC News - Three foreign nationals were arrested on suspicion of attacking a protester and breaking the protester’s neck.
ABC News - The violence left several burned-out cars lining the streets of Soweto.
WHERE:
ABC News - The protests occurred in Soweto, Johannesburg, and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province.
ABC News - The violence in Soweto erupted near a Home Affairs office in Orlando West.
ABC News - Looting of shops owned by foreign nationals was reported in downtown Durban.
WHEN:
ABC News - The protests and violence occurred on a Thursday.
ABC News - The government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration held an urgent briefing earlier on the same Thursday.
WHY:
ABC News - The government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration acknowledged that all refugee offices were overwhelmed by the numbers of those coming for applications.
ABC News - Protests opposed the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove procedural barriers to seeking asylum.
ABC News - Demonstrators demanded the deportation of foreigners living in South Africa illegally.
ABC News - Tensions had been building for months due to anti-immigrant sentiments.
HOW:
ABC News - Authorities pledged to expand processing capacity, speed up decisions, and strengthen identity checks in response to the overwhelming number of asylum applications.
ABC News - The violence escalated after reports of shots fired toward protesters, which triggered retaliatory vehicle burnings.
ABC News - Police acknowledged that officers initially monitoring the march lacked specialized public-order training and equipment.
(UPDATED October 9, 2026 10:03 UTC)
Home Affairs has withdrawn its September 28 asylum directive after being overwhelmed by the sheer number of applicants, as acknowledged by the government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration. Meanwhile, riot police were deployed to the city center of Durban, where smoke was seen billowing over parts of downtown during ongoing protests. In response to the situation, authorities have pledged to expand processing capacity, speed up decisions, and strengthen identity checks to better handle the influx of asylum applications.
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(UPDATED October 9, 2026 08:07 UTC)
In response to escalating unrest, acting national police commissioner Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane announced that public-order police deployments have been reinforced in affected areas, while community leader Tshepo Mposula described the demonstration's rapid escalation. The protests, which erupted over a court ruling easing access to asylum, resulted in at least 24 vehicles being burned and shops looted in Soweto and Durban, with three foreign nationals arrested on suspicion of attacking a protester. Tensions had been building for months due to anti-immigrant sentiments, and the violence intensified after shots were reportedly fired at protesters, prompting retaliatory actions.