South Africa has withdrawn a government directive on the processing of asylum applications after xenophobic clashes between foreign nationals and anti-immigration protesters led to vehicles being set alight and foreign-owned shops looted in Johannesburg and Durban.
The Department of Home Affairs announced the withdrawal on Friday, stating that the directive had produced “serious consequences” and overwhelmed refugee reception offices within days of its implementation. Officials were placed at risk and serious threats to public safety and order had emerged, the department said, adding that it would now start a fresh process.
The directive had required refugee reception offices to process asylum applications following a Constitutional Court ruling that found certain procedural barriers facing asylum seekers unconstitutional. Its introduction prompted hundreds of people to visit the offices, reigniting long-standing tensions over immigration and the presence of foreign nationals.
Violence broke out on Thursday in Soweto, Johannesburg, and in Durban on the east coast after protests organised by anti-illegal immigration groups. In Durban, at least 14 vehicles were set ablaze and a municipal building was set on fire. Police arrested three foreign nationals for allegedly assaulting a South African protester. In Soweto, at least 10 vehicles were torched and small convenience stores were looted.
South Africa, the continent’s wealthiest nation, has long drawn migrants from other African countries and has seen periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence for nearly two decades. The attacks have often been driven by claims that foreign nationals take jobs and scarce resources from citizens. Tensions have sharpened ahead of local government elections on November 4, with unemployment remaining above 30 per cent.
At least four foreign nationals were killed in earlier violence this year, according to South African police, though some African governments reported a higher death toll. Previous waves of unrest prompted citizens of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda to leave the country, with some repatriated by their governments, straining diplomatic relations with Pretoria.
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