Protests against foreign nationals turned violent in parts of South Africa on Thursday, with vehicles set ablaze and foreign-owned shops looted amid renewed tensions over immigration and asylum applications.
Violence was reported in Soweto, Johannesburg, and the coastal city of Durban, following fresh demonstrations by groups campaigning against undocumented migration.
In Durban, allegations that a foreign national assaulted a South African demonstrator triggered clashes that left at least 14 vehicles burned, according to police. Three foreign nationals were arrested in connection with the incident.
Police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters who reportedly set fire to a foreign-owned business and looted other shops, according to AFP reporters.
In Soweto, at least 10 vehicles were set ablaze, although police reported no injuries. Small convenience stores, many of which are operated by migrants, were also targeted by looters.
Acting National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, said officers were pursuing those responsible for the violence.
“The right to raise concerns and to protest does not give anyone the right to commit crime,” she told reporters.
The latest unrest followed a court ruling declaring certain provisions of South Africa’s refugee legislation unconstitutional. The provisions had restricted access to the asylum system on procedural grounds, including in cases involving people who entered the country irregularly.
The ruling prompted hundreds of people to visit government refugee centres in recent days to seek access to the asylum process.
However, the South African government warned against misinformation, stressing on Wednesday that the judgment did not automatically grant refugee status or permanent residence to anyone entering the country.
The government also expressed concern about what it described as unintended consequences of the ruling and reaffirmed its commitment to migration-control measures announced in June. These include strengthening border controls, tackling human smuggling and accelerating the deportation of people who do not qualify to remain in the country.
South Africa, the continent’s largest economy, has long attracted migrants from across Africa seeking employment opportunities.
The country has experienced recurring outbreaks of xenophobic violence for nearly two decades, with some attacks fuelled by claims that foreign nationals compete with local residents for jobs and scarce resources.
Anti-immigration sentiment has intensified ahead of local government elections scheduled for November 4, with unemployment, which remains above 30 per cent, also a major public concern.
Earlier protests by anti-immigrant groups demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country by June 30 reportedly led tens of thousands of people to depart. Some were repatriated by their governments, straining South Africa’s relations with other African countries.
South African police said at least four foreign nationals were killed during the earlier violence, although some foreign governments reported higher death tolls.
The largest numbers of those who left were from Zimbabwe and Malawi, while thousands more came from Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda.
