JOHANNESBURG — Violent protests occurred in Johannesburg's Soweto township and Durban on Thursday. Demonstrators opposed the Constitutional Court's decision to remove procedural barriers to seeking asylum.

According to Acting National Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane, demonstrators set fire to 10 cars in Soweto and another 14 in Durban. Shops were looted during the protests, and foreign-run businesses were forced to close in both locations. Residents fled after police arrived. Police opened fire with rubber bullets to disperse protesters who reportedly set alight a business run by foreigners in Durban.

Dimpane emphasized that "The right to raise concerns and to protest does not give anyone the right to commit crime." Public-order police deployments were reinforced in areas facing unrest, and riot police were deployed to Durban city center. Three people were arrested in Durban.

Unrest in Soweto centered around an Orlando West Home Affairs facility. Metro police spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the violence had subsided, although tensions remained high. Officers were still deployed and roads remained closed.

Fihla acknowledged that officers initially monitoring the march lacked specialized public-order training and equipment. "We couldn’t predict that this type of situation would happen," he stated.

Government spokesperson William Baloyi said the violence was triggered by people spreading deliberately false information about the constitutional court ruling. He said the court decision had been widely misrepresented. "We are deeply concerned by what is going on now," Baloyi remarked.

Why It Matters

The protests follow months of demonstrations by anti-immigrant groups against undocumented foreign nationals that have led tens of thousands to flee. About a third of people in South Africa are out of work.