At least 24 vehicles were set ablaze and several foreign‑owned shops were looted in Soweto and Durban after anti‑immigration protests erupted on Thursday.
The violence followed a Cape Town Constitutional Court ruling that allows certain illegal migrants to apply for asylum, sparking frustration among residents who claim the decision will encourage undocumented migration.
Police fired rubber bullets at crowds and arrested three foreign nationals over an alleged assault on a protester in Durban, while residents in Soweto fired on foreign shopkeepers and set a building on fire.
The Department of Home Affairs said its staff are overwhelmed and that serious threats to public safety had emerged, but stated the new policy would still respect the court’s ruling.
South Africa has a long history of xenophobic attacks, with a 2008 wave of violence killing over 60 people. The latest unrest reflects deep socioeconomic tensions, including high unemployment and pervasive inequality that many fear pushes migrants into competition for jobs and public resources.
