South Africa Faces Violent Riots as Court Ruling Sparks Anti‑Migrant Uproar

Fri Oct 09 2026 11:21:01 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Dozens of cars burned and shops looted in Johannesburg’s Soweto and Durban as anger boils over a new asylum‑policy court ruling.

Police reports say 24 vehicles were torched and foreign‑owned shops were looted after anti‑immigration protests erupted in Soweto and Durban. The violence followed a Constitutional Court decision that lets illegal entrants file asylum claims, sparking fears of increased migration. Authorities defended the ruling, saying it does not grant automatic legal status and that applications will still be screened individually. The unrest mirrors long‑standing xenophobic tensions in South Africa, where poverty and inequality fuel suspicion toward foreign residents. Police used rubber bullets to disperse crowds, and businesses downtown shuttered amid rising threats to public safety.

At least 24 cars were set on fire and foreign‑owned shops were looted as anti‑immigration protests flared in Johannesburg’s Soweto township and Durban, police said on Thursday.

The violence followed a nationwide court ruling that permits migrants who entered illegally to submit asylum applications, prompting angry crowds at immigration centres and government reception facilities.

Police reports noted 14 vehicles were torched in Durban and 10 in Soweto, where gunshots were heard during clashes between residents and foreign shopkeepers. Rubber bullets were fired to disperse crowds, and downtown businesses closed their doors as the unrest escalated.

Acting police commissioner Puleng Dimpane condemned the property damage and pledged to pursue those responsible.

The country’s government says the new policy complies with the Constitutional Court decision and that asylum seekers will still face individual assessments; the ruling does not grant automatic legal status.

South Africa has endured repeated xenophobic attacks for nearly two decades, often targeting migrants from neighbouring states, and the latest unrest comes against a backdrop of deep inequality, high unemployment and widespread poverty.