Clashes lead S Africa to withdraw asylum orders

The South African government yesterday said it had withdrawn an order on the processing of asylum applications that led to clashes between foreign nationals and anti-migrant locals.

Violence erupted in Johannesburg’s Soweto and Durban on Thursday, with several cars torched and small foreign-run stores looted.

The order for refugee reception offices to process applications followed a South African Constitutional Court ruling that certain procedural barriers to asylum seekers were unconstitutional.

A person walks past burning vehicles in Soweto, South Africa, on Thursday, during unrest following anti-migrant protests, where residents clashed with foreign-owned shopkeepers and vehicles were set alight, after months of anti-migrant demonstrations that have drawn international criticism.

Photo: Reuters / Stringer

It led hundreds of people to flock to refugee reception offices, reigniting local tensions against illegal migrants that led to weeks of protests and saw tens of thousands of Africans flee the country.

Announcing it had withdrawn the directive, the South African Department of Home Affairs said it had led to “serious consequences,” with its offices “overwhelmed within a matter of days.”

Its officials were placed at risk and “serious threats to public safety and order had emerged,” it said, adding that the department would “embark on a fresh process.”

Thursday’s violence erupted after protests called by anti-illegal immigration groups.

At least 14 vehicles were torched in Durban, where a municipal building was set alight.

Three foreign nationals were arrested for allegedly assaulting a South African protester, police said.

In Soweto, at least 10 vehicles were torched and small convenience stores looted.

The continent’s wealthiest nation has long been a magnet for migrants from elsewhere on the continent.

It has experienced periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence for nearly two decades, sometimes based on disputed claims that foreign nationals take scarce jobs and resources from locals.

Complaints about illegal immigration have grown ahead of local government elections on Nov. 4, with unemployment above 30 percent another key issue.

At least four foreign nationals were killed in violence earlier this year, according to the South African police, although some African governments said the toll was higher.