South African anti-migrant protests turn violent, government blames disinformation

Anti-migrant protests in two South African cities including Johannesburg’s Soweto ​township turned violent on Thursday (October 8, 2026), with the government blaming disinformation over a ‌court ruling on asylum seekers.

In coastal Durban, the ​second city hit by protests, a Reuters reporter ⁠saw five cars in flames in the urban centre, where foreign-owned shops were also looted.

The unrest followed a protest by a group demanding ‌that a refugee centre stop processing asylum applications.

In Soweto, a Reuters reporter saw residents carrying groceries out of ‌a shop that they said was owned by ‌a ⁠person from Somalia, whom they chased away. The looters ⁠fled after police arrived and made them disperse.

Government spokesperson William Baloyi said the violence was triggered by people spreading deliberately false information about a constitutional court ruling ​in July.