Durban Unrest Escalates As Police Fire Rubber Bullets and Deploy Tear Gas at Protesters in CBD
- Protesters marched through central Durban on Friday night over a Constitutional Court judgement on asylum seekers
- Police deployed stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets as crowds swamped multiple streets in the Central Business District
- More police resources were redeployed from across the province as officers worked to manage the large crowd
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
KWAZULU-NATAL — Protesters took to the streets of Durban's central business district on Friday evening, prompting a significant police response involving tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets.
The demonstration unfolded across multiple streets in the CBD, with large crowds drawing emergency vehicle deployments and a heavy police presence. Footage shared on X showed a nighttime scene filled with flashing police lights and a tense atmosphere within the crowd.
The unrest was sparked by a Constitutional Court ruling related to asylum seekers. Despite Home Affairs withdrawing the directive it issued to all Refugee Reception Offices, protesters continued marching and voicing unhappiness with the court's ruling.
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Police clarify their approach to the protests
Authorities also moved to address reports suggesting officers had simply been escorting marchers and allowing unlawful conduct to occur unchallenged.
The South African Police Service stated clearly that the situation constituted a crowd management operation, with officers obligated to protect lives, safeguard property, and simultaneously respect residents' constitutional right to march.
Police indicated they were applying minimum legal force where the situation demanded it, and additional resources were being brought in from other parts of KwaZulu-Natal to reinforce personnel on the ground. Intelligence officers were also active, identifying individuals of interest with a view to follow-up investigations and arrests at a later stage.
Phakel’umthakathi calls for calm in Durban
Nkosikhona Phakel’umthakathi Ndabandaba called for calm amid the escalating violence in the Durban Central Business District
Briefly News reported that shops were looted, vehicles torched, and several people were arrested during the unrest.
Speaking from the scene of the chaos, Ndabandaba warned leaders against inciting community members to commit acts of destruction.
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Source: Briefly News
