South Africa Withdraws Asylum Directive After Violent Protests

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs withdrew its Sept. 28 asylum-processing directive on Oct. 9, 2026, saying refugee reception offices were overwhelmed within days, officials were at risk, and serious threats to public safety and order had emerged. On Thursday rioters torched 14 vehicles in Durban and 10 in Soweto, where foreign-owned shops were also looted. Police used stun grenades to disperse protesters in Gqeberha; protests ran three consecutive days outside Durban's refugee reception centre. The directive was an operational bid to implement a July 7 Constitutional Court ruling in the Scalabrini Centre case that struck down sections of the Refugees Act and bars denying asylum access solely on procedural grounds; the ruling does not automatically grant refugee status, permanent residence, or other legal rights. Spokesperson Thulani Mavuso said the director-general issued it without Minister Leon Schreiber's knowledge and that claims it was politically motivated are "categorically untrue," as it stemmed from a case the department had opposed. The government blamed disinformation about the ruling. Police said calm had returned in Soweto and Durban had stabilised. Home Affairs said it will seek a sustainable method to comply with the still-binding court order but provided no details or timetable. Cabinet spokesperson Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said instructions to refugee offices would be reviewed.