South African authorities have heightened security in Johannesburg and Durban following two days of violent protests targeting foreign nationals.
Demonstrators reportedly set vehicles ablaze, attacked foreigners, looted shops and threw bricks and bottles on Friday, prompting police to use tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds.
The protests erupted over a Department of Home Affairs directive on implementing a Constitutional Court ruling concerning asylum applications.
The directive stated that asylum seekers should be allowed to submit applications even if they entered South Africa without the required documents. The development prompted hundreds of people to gather at refugee reception centres.
However, misinformation about the directive fuelled anger among anti-immigrant campaigners, with false claims circulating that undocumented migrants would automatically be granted legal status.
Community leader Tshepo Mposula accused the government of prioritising foreign nationals over South African citizens.
“This government is so obsessed with the foreigners, they will do whatever it takes to protect, you know, illegal foreigners,” he said.
Local councillor Mpumi Edward also criticised the government’s approach, arguing that undocumented migrants should face legal consequences rather than be documented.
“Because all these people have come to this country illegally, and we should be jailing them instead of documenting them,” she said.
In response to the backlash, the Department of Home Affairs withdrew the directive on Friday and said it would develop a new plan that complies with the Constitutional Court’s requirements.
The ruling concerns access to the asylum application process and does not automatically grant applicants refugee status or permanent residence.
The unrest comes amid growing anti-immigrant mobilisation across South Africa, with groups such as March and March leading campaigns for stricter immigration controls.
On June 30, an unofficial deadline set by campaigners for foreign nationals to leave the country reportedly prompted tens of thousands of people from other African nations to flee amid fears over their safety.
South Africa has long attracted migrants seeking employment and business opportunities. However, tensions over immigration have repeatedly erupted into xenophobic violence, with foreign nationals and foreign-owned businesses targeted during previous outbreaks.
Anti-immigrant sentiment has often been linked to claims that migrants take jobs and compete with locals for scarce resources, although such claims remain contested.
The latest protests also come as South Africa grapples with unemployment above 30 per cent ahead of local government elections scheduled for November 4.
In June, the government announced measures to strengthen border controls, tackle human smuggling and speed up the deportation of people who do not qualify to remain in the country.
Authorities now face the challenge of enforcing immigration laws while preventing further violence against foreign nationals.
The withdrawal of the directive has eased one source of controversy, but tensions remain over migration, employment and the treatment of foreign communities.
