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Story tracker · South Africa
Riots in Durban and Soweto after a court ruling on asylum, the army deployment and arrests that followed, and the competing claims over what the ruling means and who is behind the violence.
We have added nothing new since Nov 4, 2026: these are the latest reports we have verified. We check for news every hour and will update as soon as there is something new.
Swipe through. The full record, with every source, is below.
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2/5 · Latest
3/5 · What's confirmed
4/5 · What's disputed
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Newest first. Updated as news breaks.
On July 7, 2026, South Africa's Constitutional Court struck down rules that barred people from applying for asylum if they had entered the country irregularly, had no asylum transit visa or missed a reporting deadline. On September 28 the Home Affairs department told refugee offices to accept in-person applications. The move came after months of protests by anti-migrant groups, which had demanded that undocumented foreigners leave.
In early October anti-migrant groups, including March and March, protested at refugee offices. On October 8 protests in Soweto and Durban turned violent: police say 24 vehicles were torched, and foreign-owned shops were looted. Home Affairs withdrew the directive on October 9, saying its offices had been overwhelmed, but violence continued in Durban and the army was deployed there on October 10. Officials say 30 people were arrested in the first days, and court cases are under way.
The government says the ruling has been misrepresented: it does not automatically grant refugee status, residence or voting rights, and officials blame deliberate false information for the violence. Anti-migrant groups say the ruling and directive opened the door to undocumented migrants, and March and March denies its members were behind the violence. Rights groups say the court order is binding and call for those who incited violence to be prosecuted. Local government elections were due on November 4, and police had banned marches that day; no reports of unrest on the day have been found yet.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa, speaking in the Free State, saying the security cluster is on top of the situation in Durban and that there should be no loss of life.
How we checked: Reported by AFP. Date and place are given in the report.
Sources: AFP (via Edition.mv) · African Insider (AFP)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, founder of March and March
A statement that the group does not associate itself with criminal activities and that the violence in Durban is "not us".
How we checked: Reported by TimesLIVE. Text post; date is approximate (around October 9 to 10).
Sources: TimesLIVE
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Seen a post we should check? Send the link.
June to September
Police say more than 900 people were arrested during anti-migrant protests, after groups set a June 30 deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, Reuters reports.
Sources: Al Jazeera · The Irish Times (Reuters)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
The Constitutional Court rules that people cannot be barred from applying for asylum because they entered irregularly, had no asylum transit visa or missed a reporting deadline; officials must consider individual claims. The case was brought by the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town and Lawyers for Human Rights.
Sources: Mail & Guardian · Xinhua · Daily Maverick
Confirmed by independent reports from Mail & Guardian, Xinhua and Daily Maverick. How we label
September 28 to October 7
The Home Affairs director-general issues a directive telling refugee reception offices to accept in-person asylum applications.
Sources: Mail & Guardian · Xinhua
Confirmed by independent reports from Mail & Guardian and Xinhua. How we label
Members of the anti-migrant group March and March disrupt asylum processing at the Durban refugee reception office, Daily Maverick reports.
Sources: Daily Maverick
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Home Affairs says a "coordinated disinformation campaign" is misrepresenting the ruling and says it will refer the matter to the Electoral Commission.
Sources: EWN · Daily Maverick
Confirmed by independent reports from EWN and Daily Maverick. How we label
October 8 to 10
Protests in Soweto and Durban turn violent. Acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane says 24 vehicles were torched, 10 in Soweto and 14 in Durban, and foreign-owned shops are looted.
Sources: AP (via CP24) · Al Jazeera · Mail & Guardian
Confirmed by independent reports from AP, Al Jazeera and Mail & Guardian. How we label
KwaZulu-Natal police say three foreign nationals were arrested on suspicion of attacking a protester and breaking his neck, and that this may have sparked the Durban violence. Protesters say a demonstrator was shot by a foreign national; in Soweto, a community leader alleges foreign nationals fired shots first.
Sources: AP (via CP24) · TimesLIVE
Disputed: the accounts conflict. Both are given, with their sources. How we label
Government spokesperson William Baloyi says the violence was triggered by people deliberately spreading false information, and that the ruling does not automatically give anyone refugee status or other rights. The inter-ministerial committee on migration says all refugee offices are overwhelmed.
Sources: Al Jazeera · SAnews (government)
Confirmed by independent reports from Al Jazeera and SAnews. How we label
Home Affairs withdraws the directive, saying its offices were "overwhelmed within a matter of days". The department says the directive was issued without Minister Leon Schreiber's knowledge; Schreiber says the department changed its position because the "facts shifted".
Sources: Mail & Guardian · AFP (via Edition.mv) · EWN
Confirmed by independent reports from Mail & Guardian, AFP and EWN. How we label
Violence continues in Durban for a second day; AFP reports police using tear gas and stun grenades, houses set alight and shops looted. President Cyril Ramaphosa says the security cluster is handling the unrest and there should be no loss of life.
Sources: AFP (via Edition.mv) · TimesLIVE
Confirmed by independent reports from AFP and TimesLIVE. How we label
Protesters march to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. Daily Maverick reports police fired rubber bullets and a vehicle was set alight.
Sources: AFP (via Edition.mv) · Daily Maverick
Confirmed by independent reports from AFP and Daily Maverick. How we label
Soldiers are deployed in Durban and patrol the city centre with police, after KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli called for the army.
Sources: TimesLIVE · Daily Maverick · African News Agency
Confirmed by independent reports from TimesLIVE, Daily Maverick and African News Agency. How we label
KwaZulu-Natal police say 19 people have been arrested in Durban, four of them for attempted murder and discharging a firearm in public. March and March's founder says on social media that the group does not associate itself with criminal activities.
Sources: TimesLIVE
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Police arrest three March and March members outside the Durban refugee office; they are charged with incitement to commit public violence, public violence and riotous or threatening conduct.
Sources: IOL · GroundUp (via allAfrica)
Confirmed by independent reports from IOL and GroundUp. How we label
From October 11
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the inter-ministerial committee, says the government will ask the courts for a supervisory order on implementing the ruling, possibly with a suspension period. She says a new asylum appointment system will be in place by November 10 and that 30 people have been arrested since October 8.
Sources: Xinhua · Daily Maverick
Confirmed by independent reports from Xinhua and Daily Maverick. How we label
Nigeria's foreign ministry says 2,037 Nigerians have been repatriated from South Africa since June 10 amid what it calls xenophobic attacks.
Sources: ThisDay (Nigeria)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
24 accused appear in Durban Magistrate's Court. Two of the arrested March and March members are granted bail of R1,000 on condition they stay away from violent protests and from Home Affairs offices.
Sources: GroundUp (via allAfrica) · IOL (Sunday Tribune)
Confirmed by independent reports from GroundUp and IOL. How we label
TimesLIVE reports that a panel of Gauteng High Court judges, appointed by Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba, will hear the government's bid for court supervision of the asylum ruling on October 29; Kubayi says the hearing will consider submissions on how the ruling is implemented.
Sources: TimesLIVE
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Three Ethiopian nationals, aged 38, 48 and 29, appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on attempted murder and public violence charges over the October 8 assault, which police say happened as a group marched to join March and March members outside the Durban refugee office. Police allege the men beat a South African man with sticks, stones and a bushknife and broke both his legs, a different injury from the broken neck police described on October 8; the state says they intended to kill him. They are remanded in custody, with the case due back on October 19.
Sources: Briefly
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Lawyers for Human Rights says the government should not seek a supervisory order, arguing it waited months after the July ruling to seek legal advice, and says it is unclear whether papers have been filed, EWN reports.
Sources: EWN
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
The lawyer for March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma says arrest warrants have been issued for her and for him; the movement calls it intimidation before the elections. The National Prosecuting Authority and KwaZulu-Natal police say no warrant or case exists.
Sources: TimesLIVE · IOL · The Citizen
Confirmed by independent reports from TimesLIVE, IOL and The Citizen. How we label
IOL reports that 19 people linked to the movement appear in Durban Magistrate's Court on charges linked to public violence.
Sources: IOL
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Speaking at a Black Wednesday commemoration in Sandton, President Ramaphosa dismisses social media claims that the ANC is registering asylum seekers to vote as "a rubbish story," IOL reports. The Electoral Commission says asylum seeker status does not confer voting rights and that only South African citizens aged 18 or over on the voters' roll may vote in the November 4 local elections.
Sources: IOL
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
A crowd of about 50 people beats an unidentified man, reported to be a foreign national, to death on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street in central Durban at around 7am on October 22 as he is walking to work; a witness says the crowd was targeting immigrants, GroundUp reports via Daily Maverick. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirms a murder case has been opened; no suspects have been named.
Sources: Daily Maverick (GroundUp)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Protesters attack the VFS Global Home Affairs visa application centre in Berea and ransack a building near Problem Mkhize Road, IOL reports; KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda says police are working to identify those responsible. About 80% of central Durban shops remain closed.
Sources: IOL (Sunday Tribune)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
A Durban Magistrate's Court bail hearing for three foreign nationals charged with attempted murder and public violence over the October 8 attack on a protester is adjourned to October 28 and the men remain in custody, IOL reports. The state says the man was left with fractures to both legs; it opposes bail, citing community anger, the seriousness of the charges and flight risk, while the defence disputes that its client took part in the violence.
Sources: IOL (Sunday Tribune)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
The Electoral Commission tightens security for the November 4 KwaZulu-Natal local elections, adding police and contracted guards at voting stations and material warehouses and saying protesters "won't be tolerated anywhere near voting stations," TimesLive reports; the province has been on high alert for months over anti-migrant unrest, including the Durban killing reported on October 22.
Sources: TimesLive
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
Police arrest five men, aged 19 to 46, outside the Home Affairs offices on Che Guevara Road in Umbilo as persons of interest in the murder, attempted murder and assault cases linked to the unrest, Netshiunda says, IOL reports.
Sources: IOL (Sunday Tribune)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
A Durban court lets the anti-migrant group March and March keep demonstrating but only between 9am and 3pm, without weapons or face coverings and without damaging property, according to AFP copy carried by 24 News HD. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia had asked for restrictions, citing police intelligence of an alleged plot to burn the Berea refugee reception office; the group's lawyer said the aim was "to silence the people".
Sources: 24 News HD (AFP)
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
South African police warn that no marches will be permitted on election day, November 4, and KwaZulu-Natal officers are put on extended shifts, IOL and SABC News report, days after a Durban court limited the anti-migrant group March and March to daytime demonstrations.
Reported: not yet confirmed by a second independent source. How we label
The South African Government said on X, on local-election day, that asylum seekers and refugees may not vote. Its graphics cite the Refugee Regulations, which it says bar them from political activity, and the Electoral Act, which it says limits voting to registered citizens aged 18 or over.
Sources: South African Government (X)
From an official statement. It shows what the authority says, not that it is true; we label it confirmed only when independent news reports agree.
The new asylum appointment system Home Affairs said would be in place by November 10, and the Durban court matter on March and March demonstrations. Still being checked.
Sources: IOL
Checking: expected or unresolved. We will update this when the outcome is known. How we label
No entries with this label.
Both sides, with sources.
One account
The government says the ruling does not automatically grant refugee status, permanent residence or voting rights, and that false claims about it caused the violence.
Sources: Al Jazeera · SAnews (government) · EWN
Other account
Anti-migrant groups say the ruling and the directive opened the door to undocumented migrants; March and March's founder called the ruling "absolutely shocking".
Sources: Daily Maverick
Status: The ruling requires officials to consider individual asylum claims and remains binding after the directive was withdrawn (Mail & Guardian).
One account
March and March says it does not associate itself with criminal activities. Protesters say the Durban violence followed the alleged shooting of a demonstrator by a foreign national.
Sources: TimesLIVE · AP (via CP24)
Other account
Police say three foreign nationals were arrested over an assault on a protester, and dozens of people have been arrested for public violence. A coalition of 160 civil society groups calls for those who incited violence to be prosecuted.
Sources: AP (via CP24) · TimesLIVE · Xinhua
Status: Court cases are under way; no court has made findings yet.
One account
The movement's lawyer says warrants were issued for him and the movement's founder; its spokesperson calls this intimidation before the November 4 elections.
Other account
The National Prosecuting Authority and KwaZulu-Natal police say no warrant was issued and no case exists.
Sources: TimesLIVE · IOL · The Citizen
Status: No warrant has been produced.
Arrests, bans, investigations and court cases.
| Date | Action | By | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1 | More than 900 arrested during anti-migrant protests | Police (figure via Reuters) | Reported |
| Oct 7 | Alleged disinformation about the ruling to be referred to the Electoral Commission | Home Affairs | Confirmed |
| Oct 8 | Three foreign nationals arrested over an assault on a protester in Durban | KwaZulu-Natal police | Confirmed |
| Oct 9 | Asylum directive of September 28 withdrawn | Home Affairs | Confirmed |
| Oct 10 | Army deployed in Durban | National government, at the request of the KwaZulu-Natal premier | Confirmed |
| Oct 10 | 19 arrested in Durban, including four for attempted murder and discharging a firearm | KwaZulu-Natal police | Reported |
| Oct 10 | Three March and March members arrested and charged with incitement and public violence | Police | Confirmed |
| Oct 11 | 30 arrested since October 8: 25 in KwaZulu-Natal, 5 in Gauteng | Police (figure via the inter-ministerial committee) | Confirmed |
| Oct 11 | Supervisory order on implementing the ruling to be sought from the courts | Inter-ministerial committee on migration | Confirmed |
| Oct 12 | 24 accused appear in court; two granted bail with conditions | Durban Magistrate's Court | Confirmed |
| Oct 12 | Hearing on the government's bid for court supervision of the asylum ruling set for October 29 (TimesLIVE) | Gauteng High Court panel | Reported |
| Oct 13 | Three named Ethiopian nationals charged with attempted murder and public violence over the October 8 assault; remanded in custody to October 19 | Durban Magistrate's Court | Reported |
| Oct 16 | 19 people linked to March and March appear on charges linked to public violence | Durban Magistrate's Court | Reported |
| Oct 22 | Murder case opened over the mob killing of an unidentified man in central Durban | KwaZulu-Natal police | Reported |
| Oct 23 | Bail hearing for the three Ethiopian nationals charged over the October 8 assault adjourned to October 28; remanded in custody | Durban Magistrate's Court | Reported |
| Oct 23 | Additional police and guards announced for voting stations and election-material warehouses ahead of November 4 | Electoral Commission | Reported |
| Oct 23 | Five men arrested outside Home Affairs offices in Umbilo as persons of interest in the murder, attempted murder and assault cases | KwaZulu-Natal police | Reported |
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