South Africans are protesting illegal immigration, demanding stronger border controls, enforcement of immigration laws and the deportation of foreign nationals who have no legal right to remain in the country.
Demonstrations in Johannesburg and Durban turned violent on October 8th, prompting the government to withdraw a recently issued directive concerning asylum applications.
The protests reflect public frustration over immigration enforcement, unemployment and the government’s handling of asylum claims.
Demonstrators argue that South Africa cannot afford an immigration system in which applicants wait years for decisions and rejected applicants are not consistently located and removed.
Historical government statistics support concerns about high asylum rejection rates.
A written parliamentary response recorded rejection rates among finalised cases of 92% in 2017, 91% in 2018, 92% in 2019 and 91% in 2022.
These figures show that rejection rates have exceeded 90% in multiple reporting periods.
Meanwhile, the refugee appeals backlog has accumulated over more than two decades, with some unresolved cases dating to 2008.
Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee has also raised concerns about inadequate staffing and the absence of an effective tracking mechanism in certain cases, complicating immigration enforcement.
The economic pressures are substantial.
Statistics South Africa reported an official unemployment rate of 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, with 8.5 million people unemployed. Youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 34 reached 47.4%.
The World Bank has identified South Africa as the world’s most unequal country based on its comparative inequality data.
On October 11th, Home Affairs announced plans for a biometric online asylum application system designed to speed up processing and identify repeat applications.
The government says it intends to deport applicants whose claims have been finally rejected, subject to legal requirements.
Protesters are demanding that these commitments translate into effective enforcement, arguing that South Africans need a system that protects the country’s borders and prioritises lawful immigration.
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