In Orlando West, a neighbourhood of Soweto, the day began with a demand: residents wanted the small convenience stores, known locally as spaza shops and run by foreign nationals, to close. By the end of Thursday, shops had been attacked, a building was on fire, and foreign traders had been forced out of some areas, according to local media reports. Gunshots rang out during confrontations between residents and foreign shopkeepers in the township, which lies outside Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city.
The unrest did not stay in one place. In Durban, a major port city on the east coast in KwaZulu-Natal province, a demonstration outside a government refugee reception centre turned violent after allegations emerged that a foreign national had assaulted one of the protesters. Police arrested three foreign nationals in connection with the alleged assault. Crowds gathered at the centre demanding that it stop accepting asylum applications, and officers fired rubber bullets to disperse them as businesses in the city centre shut their doors.
For the people who live and work in these streets, the toll was counted in burned-out vehicles and shuttered storefronts. Police said 14 vehicles were torched in Durban and 10 in Soweto, bringing the total to at least 24. Senior local police officer Xolani Fihla told state broadcaster SABC that clashes had taken place between foreign nationals and South African nationals in the area. “At the present moment, I can confirm that no injuries have been reported,” he said. Acting national police commissioner Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane condemned the destruction of property, and authorities have promised to pursue those responsible. Reinforcements were deployed to prevent further violence.
Behind the confrontation lies a legal ruling that has reshaped daily life at refugee reception offices. In July, South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the country’s highest court, struck down restrictions that had prevented some people from seeking asylum because of how they entered the country or missed immigration deadlines. The judgment means asylum seekers must be allowed to submit applications even if they arrived without the required documents. Since then, hundreds of people have gathered at reception centres, and the sight has fuelled anger among anti-immigration campaigners who fear the decision will encourage undocumented migration.
Government spokesman William Baloyi told Reuters that people had deliberately spread false claims about the judgment, creating the impression that undocumented migrants would automatically be granted legal status. He insisted the ruling does not automatically confer refugee status or the right to remain permanently. Applications, officials say, will still be assessed individually, and applicants remain subject to immigration checks.
The consequences for migrant communities have been severe. The protests forced tens of thousands of migrants to flee, with some returning home through repatriation programmes organised by their own governments. For shopkeepers and families caught in the middle, the choice has often been to abandon livelihoods built over years or risk staying in areas where tension could flare again.
South Africa has struggled with xenophobic attacks for nearly two decades. In 2008, more than 60 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced during widespread violence against foreign nationals. The latest unrest unfolds against a backdrop of widespread poverty, deep inequality and unemployment affecting roughly a third of the workforce. Migrants are frequently accused of taking jobs, contributing to crime and straining public services, although researchers say such sweeping claims are not supported by evidence. Despite these economic difficulties, the country remains one of the continent’s main destinations for people seeking employment, safety and better opportunities, which means the communities at the centre of this week’s violence are likely to remain there, living with the aftermath.