By Sihle Mavuso and Johnathan Paoli
Several cars and foreign-owned shops were torched along West Street in central eThekwini after a local man was shot dead, allegedly by foreign nationals.
The chaos started around 2pm when the protesters from the Durban Refugee Reception Centre stormed the area and a fight broke out.
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As a result of the chaos, some residents were trapped in a block of flats that was about to catch fire and police stepped in and rescued them.
Later, the demonstrators burnt foreign-owned shops before the police fired rubber bullets and dispersed them.
Meanwhile, protests over immigration also erupted in Johannesburg, with tensions escalating between Soweto residents and foreign-owned spaza shop operators.
In Orlando West, residents reportedly shut down at least two businesses operated by foreign nationals, while clashes later broke out, with several vehicles torched and gunshots heard.
Police were deployed to the area as authorities urged motorists to avoid the affected streets.
The unrest follows a recent Constitutional Court judgment concerning the processing of asylum applications.
The court ruled that asylum seekers cannot be excluded from having their claims considered simply because they entered South Africa irregularly or failed to apply within prescribed deadlines.
The Home Affairs Department was subsequently required to adjust its procedures to comply with the judgment.
The ruling has fuelled confusion and misinformation, including false claims that it amounts to a blanket amnesty for foreigners or gives asylum seekers the right to vote.
Government has stressed that applying for asylum does not automatically confer refugee status, citizenship or voting rights, and that applicants who do not qualify for asylum or another lawful basis to remain in South Africa can still face removal.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni previously confirmed that the government was seeking legal advice on how to manage the consequences of the judgment, while Home Affairs continues to review its instructions to refugee reception centres.
The department has also rejected claims that the changes amount to the legalisation of undocumented foreigners, saying it will refer what it describes as a coordinated disinformation campaign to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
The unrest in Durban and Soweto come amid broader tensions over undocumented migration, asylum applications and the operation of foreign-owned businesses in townships.
The government has acknowledged that the court ruling has placed additional pressure on the country’s migration management system.
Police are yet to confirm the full extent of the damage or arrests following the latest clashes.
