Department of Home Affairs rescinds asylum directive after protests

The South African Department of Home Affairs has rescinded a directive aimed at accepting new asylum applications, following a wave of violent anti-migrant protests that swept through Johannesburg and Durban. The government announced the withdrawal on Friday, citing significant threats to public safety and insurmountable operational challenges. The move represents a swift retreat from a policy change that had triggered intense unrest and property damage across several provinces.

The directive was initially introduced to ensure the government’s compliance with a previous Constitutional Court ruling. Under that judicial mandate, South African authorities were required to accept and process asylum applications from foreign nationals regardless of whether they had entered the country legally or illegally. The court had sought to protect the rights of those seeking refuge, but the policy shift was met with immediate and aggressive resistance from local groups.

Violence escalated rapidly over the past week, with reports of vehicles and property being torched in Durban and the Soweto township in Johannesburg. The Department of Home Affairs noted that the protests were characterized by high levels of volatility, making it unsafe for both officials and applicants to proceed. Government representatives have attributed the intensity of the anti-immigrant sentiment to the rapid spread of disinformation, which they claim distorted the purpose and scale of the new asylum procedures.

The decision to withdraw the directive leaves the South African government in a precarious position as it attempts to balance its legal obligations with public security. While the immediate suspension may calm the current unrest, the underlying legal requirement from the Constitutional Court remains in place. Officials have not yet detailed how they plan to re-approach the application process or address the systemic issues that led to the recent violence, leaving the future of asylum processing in the country uncertain.