The South African government has withdrawn a directive on asylum application processing following a fresh wave of xenophobic violence that saw anti-immigrant crowds torch vehicles and loot foreign-owned businesses.
The violence erupted on Thursday in Johannesburg’s Soweto township and the coastal city of Durban, amid growing tensions over immigration.
In Durban, protesters reportedly set at least 14 vehicles ablaze and torched a municipal building, while clashes in Soweto left at least 10 vehicles burnt and several convenience stores looted.
The Home Affairs Department had issued the directive in response to a Constitutional Court ruling that declared certain procedural barriers facing asylum seekers unconstitutional.
The order prompted hundreds of people to flock to refugee reception offices, intensifying existing tensions over undocumented immigration.
Explaining the withdrawal, the department said its offices had become overwhelmed within days of implementing the directive, creating serious operational challenges and raising concerns about staff safety and public order. It added that a fresh process would be introduced to address the matter.
The violence followed calls by anti-immigration groups for protests on Thursday. Police in Durban arrested three foreign nationals over the alleged assault of a South African protester, as authorities faced renewed pressure to contain the unrest.
South Africa, Africa’s most industrialised economy, has long attracted migrants from across the continent. However, the country has experienced recurring outbreaks of xenophobic violence over nearly two decades, with some residents accusing foreign nationals of competing for scarce jobs and public resources. Such claims remain contested.
Immigration has also emerged as a contentious political issue ahead of local government elections scheduled for November 4, with unemployment exceeding 30 per cent and intensifying public frustration.
The latest unrest follows earlier violence this year in which South African police reported at least four foreign nationals killed, although some African governments put the death toll higher.
Zimbabweans and Malawians accounted for the largest groups of those who left the country, while nationals of Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda also fled.
The departures prompted some governments to arrange repatriation efforts, further straining diplomatic relations with Pretoria as concerns mounted over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa.
