By Siphumelele Msomi
DURBAN – Operations at the Home Affairs offices in Moore Road were brought to a standstill after members of the March and March movement staged a protest against the processing of asylum and other documents for foreign nationals.
South African citizens including Jacinta Zuma gathered outside the building from the early hours of the morning. They said they oppose what they claim is the unlawful documentation of foreign nationals already in the country without proper papers, and that Home Affairs is not attending to South Africans with the same urgency.
They alleged that South Africans are told to book online for ID documents while foreign nationals are told to come straight to Home Affairs for asylum.
Speaking during the protest, Jacinta said SAFirst has received over 11,000 emails from South Africans complaining about service. Some raised grievances about not having ID documents.
“Some South African citizens don’t have IDs but what is shocking is that Home Affairs says only 4 million South Africans don’t have IDs, but our resources are being wasted,” Jacinta said.
Foreign nationals who had arrived at the offices to seek services were unable to enter and were chased away. Police later moved a group of foreign nationals to a nearby Shell garage for safety as tensions rose. Home Affairs remained closed for the rest of the day.
Later, tensions spread to the Durban CBD. According to eyewitnesses, some shops in West Street were allegedly targeted and stones were thrown.
There are unconfirmed reports that a South African man was allegedly shot and killed by a foreign national, which allegedly angered protesters. It is also alleged that Ethiopian nationals clashed with protesters.
Following the alleged shooting, protesters reportedly burned tyres and blocked roads, causing disruptions in parts of the city centre.
Police have not yet confirmed the alleged shooting or the extent of the damage.
