Shops were looted and several cars were set on fire as an anti-immigrant march turned violent in Durban’s city centre on Thursday, GroundUp reported.
At least one person was taken to hospital after reportedly being shot near Dr Pixley KaSeme Street at about 4pm. The person’s condition had not yet been confirmed. GroundUp said it knew of at least two other people who were attacked and hurt.
“Unplanned marches create a situation like this where police were policing one march and another one started where there was violence. We were stretched,” KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda told GroundUp.
Netshiunda gave that answer when asked why police were not better prepared. He said police were not yet aware of the shooting but would release a statement later.
He said one protester was assaulted. He added that police were still collecting reports of what happened during the march and would stay in the area to watch the situation.
Earlier on Thursday, hundreds of people marched through Durban and targeted people they believed were immigrants. The marchers included members of March and March and groups linked to it.
The march started at the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre. The group then moved to a nearby scrap yard that was apparently owned by an immigrant. The business was set on fire.
It was the third day in a row that protesters had gathered outside the refugee centre. GroundUp said they harassed asylum seekers and tried to stop them from going inside.
Long queues have formed at the centre since Home Affairs said on Monday last week that all asylum seekers could apply again. This ended a six-year closure to new applicants. The change followed a Constitutional Court ruling in July.
The group told GroundUp that March and March did not organise the protest. But Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma of March and March spoke to the media outside Home Affairs on Thursday morning.
“We are here picketing because that’s our right to express our dissatisfaction in our country, and that is what happens in a democracy. As long as we are not harming anyone, we will continue demonstrating until the government finds a way out of this mess,” she said.
After leaving the centre, the crowd grew quickly and split up. One group, led by Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, known as Phakelumthakathi, marched to an IFP rally.
Another, less organised group moved through the city towards Point Road. GroundUp said this group broke windows and looted businesses they believed were owned by immigrants.
GroundUp reporters counted more than 15 broken windows on Gillespie Street alone. One of them appeared to belong to a crèche. In some cases, immigrants threw objects back at the protesters.
Protesters also broke into and looted a liquor store while metro police watched. One metro officer said they had been told to contain the group until SAPS Public Order Police arrived.
An immigrant man told GroundUp he was dragged out of his shop near Point Road and beaten by protesters. He said he was left bleeding after being hit on the head with a stick.
Journalists were also threatened. GroundUp said its reporters were pushed, grabbed and kicked, and had phones snatched while trying to film the march.
Protesters were still in the city centre at 6pm.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Moneyweb. Image: Moneyweb. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.