Anti-illegal immigration protests escalated into widespread xenophobic violence across the Durban Central Business District (CBD)
Anti-illegal immigration protests escalated into widespread xenophobic violence across the Durban Central Business District (CBD), leaving between 11 and 14 vehicles torched or damaged and multiple foreign-owned shops looted.
Summary of the Escalation
The Catalyst: The unrest began on Thursday, October 8, 2026, outside the Department of Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road. A recent Constitutional Court ruling had invalidated parts of the Refugees Act, reopening access to the asylum process. This drew hundreds of foreign nationals to line up for processing, sparking counter-protests from local anti-immigration lobby groups like “March and March”.
The Ignition Point: According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the demonstration turned bloody along Dr Pixley kaSeme Street when a member of a local group was allegedly attacked by a foreign national, resulting in a broken leg. Other local accounts claimed a South African man was shot and killed during the initial confrontation.
The Rampage: In retaliation, angry mobs carrying sticks and sjamboks stormed through the inner city, focusing on Anton Lembede Street, West Street, and Brook Street. Protesters overturned cars believed to belong to foreign nationals, setting at least 14 of them on fire. A tyre shop, a warehouse, and a local lodge building were also partially burned before firefighters contained the blazes.
Police and Diplomatic Response: Public Order Policing units deployed tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets to break up running street battles. SAPS confirmed the arrest of three foreign nationals for the initial assault. Ahead of the worst violence, the United States Consulate General in Durban issued an emergency safety alert, ordering its personnel to completely avoid the CBD.
