{"id":878834,"date":"2026-10-08T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T07:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=878834"},"modified":"2026-10-08T09:35:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T07:35:50","slug":"united-states-issues-warning-over-social-unrest-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/878834\/united-states-issues-warning-over-social-unrest-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"United States issues warning over social unrest in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The United States has issued a security warning over reports of looting and violence targeting foreign nationals in Durban\u2019s central business district (CBD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This social unrest grew following South Africa\u2019s decision to reopen its asylum system to new applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US Consulate General in Durban said it was aware of reports of unrest on Wednesday, 7 October, near the Bayside Hotel on Dr Pixley KaSeme Street, formerly West Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUS government personnel have been instructed to exercise extreme caution in this area and divert travel as needed until further notice,\u201d the US Embassy and Consulates in South Africa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It advised people to avoid the area, crowds, and demonstrations, keep a low profile and remain aware of their surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged people to monitor local media, review their personal security plans and contact the South African Police Service on 10111, or 112 from a mobile phone, in an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning follows a tense situation outside the Department of Home Affairs\u2019 Durban Refugee Reception Centre, where thousands of foreign nationals gathered after Home Affairs instructed its offices not to turn away people seeking to apply for asylum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The directive followed a Constitutional Court ruling that found parts of the Refugees Act unconstitutional and required the asylum system to reopen to new applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday morning, a queue of about 1,000 foreign nationals reportedly stretched along Che Guevara Road towards the refugee reception centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation became volatile when members of anti-illegal immigration groups arrived carrying sticks and sjamboks. The foreign nationals subsequently left the area, fearing for their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nkosikhona \u201cPhakel\u2019umthakathi\u201d Ndabandaba, leader of the anti-illegal immigration group Insizwa Nobunsizwa, said the group was there to demonstrate against the Constitutional Court ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we came here for, firstly, is to protect our people who are marching and secondly to protect the foreigners,\u201d Ndabandaba said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause you must understand, we live with these people. We just don\u2019t want the system the way it\u2019s operating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The debate over the Constitutional Court ruling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The unrest comes amid a broader debate over the practical consequences of South Africa\u2019s decision to reopen its asylum system, with concerns that the move could add further pressure to already stretched state resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, migration experts have stressed that being allowed to apply for asylum does not mean an applicant will automatically be granted refugee status or allowed to remain in South Africa permanently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicholas Avramis, a migration expert at Beaver Recruitment SA, said the Constitutional Court ruling was legally correct because it reaffirmed rights contained in the Refugees Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom a purely legalistic jurisprudence perspective, I would say it was the right ruling,\u201d Avramis said in an interview with SABC News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the court had effectively made clear that Home Affairs could not bypass Section 22 of the Refugees Act, which provides asylum seekers with procedural protections while their applications are considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople have the right to procedural fairness, especially when it comes to asylum claims,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avramis stressed that access to the asylum process should not be confused with being granted legal status, permanent residence or citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, ActionSA has raised concerns about how the directive will work in practice following the Constitutional Court\u2019s July 2026 Scalabrini judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The party said it was concerned about instructions requiring Refugee Reception Offices to accept applications from undocumented people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This included those who entered South Africa illegally, crossed outside designated ports of entry, had no visa, or failed to declare an intention to seek asylum when entering the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It warned that applicants could obtain temporary legal status and disperse into communities while the state takes years to determine whether they qualify for protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ActionSA has proposed establishing Integration and Repatriation Centres near borders and at strategic inland locations. It said asylum seekers could remain at these centres while their identities and claims are assessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The party has also called for biometric registration, stricter processing timelines and measures to distinguish genuine refugees from people migrating primarily for economic reasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States has issued a security warning over reports of looting and violence in South Africa. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":861906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2108099088352768337","_sma_facebook_post_id":"191437357620492_2230195271134205","_sma_instagram_post_id":"17928413922420886","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[2902,853,26746],"class_list":["post-878834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-constitutional-court","tag-south-africa","tag-us-embassy-and-consulates-in-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/878834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=878834"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/878834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":878873,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/878834\/revisions\/878873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=878834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=878834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=878834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}