KwaZulu-Natal police used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets on Friday as anti-immigration protesters marched through the streets of Durban again.
The new marches came a day after violent protests in the Durban central business district on Thursday. During that unrest, 14 vehicles were set alight and businesses were damaged.
“Police wish to set the record straight that what is unfolding is a crowd management situation,” police said in a statement issued on Friday evening.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said officers were trying to control the crowds. He said they had to balance the right to protest with their duty to protect lives and property.
Police rejected claims that officers were only walking with protesters while crimes took place in front of them. Netshiunda said officers would step in when things got worse, using the minimum legal force needed to restore order.
He said police were also moving extra officers from other parts of KwaZulu-Natal to Durban to support the teams already there.
“As the marches continue, police intelligence officers are hard at work identifying persons of interests and at the appropriate time, detectives will follow up, gather evidence and effect arrests,” the statement said.
Netshiunda said police wanted to avoid actions that could raise tensions further, while they kept watching the situation.
On Friday, more than 100 people were seen marching along Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street, formerly Grey Street, with police officers following close behind them, IOL reported.
The 14 burnt-out vehicles were still standing along Dr Pixley kaSeme Street. Several businesses owned by foreign nationals stayed closed because of safety fears.
Firefighters were called to a store on Joseph Nduli Street after a fire started again inside it. The store was allegedly set alight during Thursday’s unrest.
The violence followed tensions outside the Department of Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road. Protesters had gathered there to oppose the processing of asylum applications.
Police earlier said three foreign nationals had been arrested over the alleged assault of a protester. The protester reportedly suffered a broken leg. Investigations into the violence and the damage to property are continuing.
The protests are linked to anger over the processing of asylum applications after a Constitutional Court ruling about access to the asylum system.
On Friday, the Department of Home Affairs withdrew a directive on the intake of asylum applications. Refugee reception offices had been overwhelmed by applicants, which raised concerns about the safety of officials and public order.
The government said the court ruling does not automatically give legal status to undocumented foreign nationals. It said the ruling only concerns access to the process used to assess asylum claims.
The unrest has also spread beyond Durban. Ten vehicles were reportedly torched in Soweto, which brings the number of vehicles destroyed in the two areas to 24.
In Johannesburg’s CBD, four people were arrested after anti-immigration protests. Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni warned that anyone who incites violence, loots or damages property will be arrested.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.