Durban: about a thousand asylum seekers leave Home Affairs queue as groups with sticks arrive
Home Affairs told refugee reception offices to receive anyone who appears in person and says they want to apply for asylum, following a Constitutional Court ruling that struck down restrictive parts of the Refugees Act (EWN, Briefly, eNCA, SABC News, IOL). On Wednesday about 1,000 people queued on Che Guevara Road in Durban. Anti-illegal-immigration groups arrived with sticks and sjamboks and the applicants left. Insizwa Nobunsizwa leader Nkosikhona Ndabandaba said the protest was peaceful. Police later told people to leave for their safety. No arrest or injury figures were published in the reports seen.
The ruling changes who can apply for asylum, and the queues arrived in a city with a recent history of anti-migrant protest. Disruption at reception offices affects legal access to the system.
If you live or work near the centre, expect police presence and road closures. Applicants who cannot reach the office remain in limbo.
Rights groups say the court ruled that people cannot be denied access to apply, and that groups have no right to block offices.
The protest groups say the ruling invites illegal migration and that residents were not consulted.
The rule of law question is whether police will keep access open. Watch for a court order, a statement from the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, and whether the protests move to other cities.
DailyDrop South Africa edition No. 4 · Morning · THU., OCT. 8, 2026