Foreign Traders, SASA Take City of Cape Town, SAPS to Court Over Xenophobic Blockade

• Twenty-seven foreign national traders and the Somali Association of South Africa filed an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court
• Affidavits detailed violence, assault, and death threats from vigilante groups including Operation Dudula and March and March in Bellville
• The applicants are demanding a coordinated protection plan from the City of Cape Town and SAPS within ten court days

WESTERN CAPE — A collective of 27 foreign informal traders alongside the Somali Association of South Africa (SASA) filed an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court to stop ongoing xenophobic harassment occurring within the Bellville Trading Zone. The Legal Resources Centre is representing the group.

According to News24, the founding affidavit by Abdulhakim Mumin Salih Husein, SASA's advocacy director, requests court orders directing local municipal authorities and police to safeguard non-national merchants. Husein highlighted that after an organised blockade began on 30 June 2026, permitted immigrant vendors were unlawfully driven from their designated stalls.

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Official permit audits subsequently verified that affected foreign traders held legitimate permits, whereas multiple local South African merchants lacked valid documentation.

Allegations of assault and law enforcement inaction

Court submissions document recurring incidents of physical attacks, armed threats, and stolen stock committed by groups including March and March as well as Operation Dudula. The affected group comprises refugees and permit holders from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Zimbabwe who have been blocked from earning an income since July 2026. Displaced vendors stated that attending police officers routinely declined to arrest aggressors or record formal criminal complaints.

Sought relief and legal remedies

The lawsuit petitions the High Court to rule that municipal officials and SAPS breached constitutional duties by failing to enforce local trading regulations and protect vulnerable groups. The applicants demand a court order compelling authorities to formulate a joint safety plan within 10 days and prohibit vigilante interference. Cape Town officials confirmed the matter is under evaluation.

Community members chase foreign nationals in Gqeberha

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In a related article, Briefly News reported on protests in Gqeberha, where residents and taxi drivers targeted foreign nationals accused of selling narcotics to minors.

The unrest coincided with protests in Durban, where a foreign national was killed after being assaulted. Further details about the victim and the attack had not been confirmed at the time of publication.

Source: Briefly News