8 October 2026 · Reporting verified against the dated sources below.
The confrontation outside Home Affairs
A dispute over access to South Africa’s asylum system became a public-safety confrontation outside the Durban Refugee Reception Centre on Wednesday, 7 October. Police were deployed along Che Guevara Road as anti-immigration protesters confronted people waiting to submit asylum applications. East Coast Radio reported that the road was closed and officers carrying shields faced a crowd in which some people carried sjamboks, knobkerries and sticks.
East Coast Radio reported a long queue of applicants outside the office earlier in the morning. As demonstrators approached, some of those waiting left the area out of fear. Officers later escorted a smaller group of applicants away from the centre. Nearby businesses shut their doors during the disruption.
Accounts differ on the size of the queue: reports variously described hundreds and about a thousand applicants. CREATIVE KONG has not independently verified an exact headcount. No verified total for arrests or injuries from Wednesday’s confrontation was available in the reports reviewed.
Why the queues grew
The immediate dispute follows a recent court ruling affecting access to asylum procedures. The ruling has become a focus of protest, with demonstrators arguing that it could increase the number of applicants seeking to lodge claims. The exact legal effect should not be confused with a grant of refugee status.
The directive does not automatically confer refugee status, citizenship or permanent residence. It allows an application to be lodged and assessed under the law. That distinction matters as the ruling becomes the focus of political and community anger.
What happens next
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma criticised asylum processing at the centre, according to the African News Agency. Protesters said the department should address its application backlog and verify the status of people seeking assistance. The presence of sticks and the reported dispersal of applicants nevertheless raised immediate concerns about access and safety.
Some protesters said they intended to return on Thursday. Police deployment and the centre’s operating status remain important developments to watch. A lawful protest does not itself decide whether Home Affairs can process a claim; that question is governed by legislation and binding court decisions.
