Durban and Soweto protesters set 24 vehicles on fire. Fourteen burned in Durban, and 10 in Soweto. Lt. Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi met with top cops. They planned where to send more teams.
Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane is the acting police chief. She said plans could shift as risks grew. She told crime intel staff to check for new threats. More Public Order Police squads would go to places at risk.
Locals in Soweto's Orlando West clashed with foreign nationals. Crowds hit spaza shops on Khumalo Street. The stores had foreign owners. Some mobs took goods. SANDF troops went on patrol there.
Xolani Fihla speaks for the Joburg metro cops. He said they had reports of shots aimed at marchers. Cops still did not know who fired.
In Durban, the first clash was near the Refugee Reception Centre. It spread to more streets in the city core. The crowds wanted Home Affairs to halt work on asylum claims. KwaZulu-Natal cops arrested three foreign nationals. Dimpane gave no arrest count for Soweto.
A Constitutional Court ruling had sparked the Soweto march. The judges had cut some rules that slowed asylum claims. But no one got refugee status from that change. Nor did it grant a right to stay for good.
Police did not know if both groups had one plan. Dimpane said cops would act on arson and harm. Those who wrecked property would face the law as well. This held for all, no matter where they came from. The state asked people to heed the law and stop the fights.
Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane is the acting police chief. She said plans could shift as risks grew. She told crime intel staff to check for new threats. More Public Order Police squads would go to places at risk.
Locals in Soweto's Orlando West clashed with foreign nationals. Crowds hit spaza shops on Khumalo Street. The stores had foreign owners. Some mobs took goods. SANDF troops went on patrol there.
Xolani Fihla speaks for the Joburg metro cops. He said they had reports of shots aimed at marchers. Cops still did not know who fired.
In Durban, the first clash was near the Refugee Reception Centre. It spread to more streets in the city core. The crowds wanted Home Affairs to halt work on asylum claims. KwaZulu-Natal cops arrested three foreign nationals. Dimpane gave no arrest count for Soweto.
A Constitutional Court ruling had sparked the Soweto march. The judges had cut some rules that slowed asylum claims. But no one got refugee status from that change. Nor did it grant a right to stay for good.
Police did not know if both groups had one plan. Dimpane said cops would act on arson and harm. Those who wrecked property would face the law as well. This held for all, no matter where they came from. The state asked people to heed the law and stop the fights.
