At Least 24 Vehicles Torched in South Africa as Anti-Immigration Protests Turn Violent

• Anti-immigration demonstrations erupted into violence in Soweto and Durban on Thursday, with police deploying rubber bullets to control crowds
• The unrest was partly triggered by a Constitutional Court ruling that expanded asylum application rights for migrants who entered South Africa without documents
• Government spokesman William Baloyi warned that false claims about the judgment had been deliberately spread, fuelling tensions on the ground

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At least 24 vehicles were set alight and foreign-owned businesses looted across two of South Africa's major cities on Thursday as anti-immigration demonstrations descended into widespread disorder, police confirmed.

Violence broke out simultaneously in Soweto, the large township on the outskirts of Johannesburg, and in Durban, the eastern port city in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Police said 14 vehicles were torched in Durban and a further 10 in Soweto, where gunshots were also reported during clashes between residents and foreign shopkeepers.

In Durban, BBC reported that protesters assembled outside a government refugee reception centre, demanding that officials halt the processing of new asylum applications. Police fired rubber bullets to break up the crowds as businesses across the city centre shut their doors in anticipation of further unrest.

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Senior local police officer Xolani Fihla told state broadcaster SABC that confrontations had occurred between South African and foreign nationals in the area, though he confirmed no injuries had been reported at that stage.

In Soweto's Orlando West neighbourhood, residents initially gathered to call for the closure of spaza shops run by foreign traders. The demonstration escalated into physical attacks on shops, and a building was set alight. Authorities deployed reinforcements to contain the situation and have pledged to prosecute those responsible for the destruction.

Three foreign nationals were arrested in connection with an alleged assault on one of the protesters in Durban, an incident that police said contributed to the escalation. Acting national police commissioner Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane condemned the destruction of property.

Court Ruling Fuels Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

The immediate trigger for much of the unrest was a July ruling by South Africa's Constitutional Court, which struck down restrictions that had barred certain migrants from applying for asylum based on how they entered the country or whether they missed immigration deadlines.

The judgment requires authorities to allow asylum seekers to submit applications regardless of their entry status.

The ruling prompted hundreds of people to queue at refugee reception centres, deepening frustration among anti-immigration campaigners who argue the decision will encourage undocumented migration.

Government spokesman William Baloyi told Reuters that false information about the ruling had been deliberately circulated, creating the misleading impression that undocumented migrants would automatically receive legal status. Baloyi clarified that the judgment grants no automatic right to refugee status or permanent residence, and that all applications would continue to be assessed individually under existing immigration protocols.

South Africa has faced cyclical outbreaks of xenophobic violence for nearly two decades. In 2008, more than 60 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced in a wave of attacks on foreign nationals. Earlier this year, sustained demonstrations forced tens of thousands of migrants to flee, with some returning home through government-organised repatriation programmes.

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Source: YEN.com.gh