A group of South Africans has gathered outside the Department of Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road in Durban, demanding that operations at the facility be halted.
The protesters accused police deployed outside the centre of prioritising the rights of foreign nationals over those of South Africans.
The demonstration comes as hundreds of foreign nationals gather outside the centre to apply for asylum following the reopening of South Africa’s asylum application system.
The Constitutional Court recently ordered Home Affairs to receive people who report in person and indicate that they intend to apply for asylum, including people who entered or remained in the country unlawfully. Home Affairs has since instructed Refugee Reception Offices to facilitate new asylum applications.
The developments have intensified tensions around the Durban facility, which has been at the centre of a wider dispute involving asylum seekers, anti-illegal immigration groups and authorities.
The latest protest comes a day after an anti-migrant group shut down the centre, bringing asylum applications to a standstill.
The situation remains closely monitored as large numbers of asylum seekers continue to gather outside the facility.
📸 Credit: Taliesha Naidoo / SABC News
