South Africa withdraws asylum directive after anti-migrant violence
publishers 27articles 33first reported 8 Oct, 18:42 UTCdeveloping since 9 Oct · 9 editions
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs withdrew a directive on processing asylum applications on Friday after anti-migrant protests turned violent in Durban and Johannesburg’s Soweto township.
Police said 24 vehicles were set alight during Thursday’s unrest — 14 in Durban and 10 in Soweto — while foreign-owned shops were looted and buildings were burned. Reinforcements were deployed to both cities. No injuries were reported, according to a Johannesburg police official cited by the BBC and Deutsche Welle.
In Durban, protesters had gathered outside a refugee reception centre to demand that it stop accepting asylum applications. Police used rubber bullets to disperse crowds, and three foreign nationals were arrested over the alleged assault of a protester. In Soweto, residents targeted convenience stores operated by foreign nationals, with reports of gunfire during confrontations.
The withdrawn directive followed a July Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers cannot be barred from applying solely because they entered South Africa illegally or failed to meet procedural deadlines. Home Affairs said reception offices had become overwhelmed and that threats to staff and public order had emerged. The department said it would begin a new process while continuing to comply with the ruling.
Government spokesperson William Baloyi blamed deliberately false accounts of the judgment for helping trigger the unrest. He said the ruling does not automatically grant refugee status, permanent residence or other legal rights to undocumented migrants.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 18 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 27
- Source articles
- 33
- Given to the writer
- 8, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 18 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
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