The South African government withdrew an order on asylum application processing on Friday after violent clashes broke out between foreign nationals and anti-migrant locals.
Violence erupted in Johannesburg’s Soweto township and the east coast city of Durban on Thursday. Crowds torched several cars and looted small foreign-run stores.
The Home Affairs Department issued the order for refugee reception offices to process applications after a Constitutional Court ruling found certain procedural barriers to asylum seekers unconstitutional.
Hundreds of people flocked to refugee reception offices after the order. This reignited local tensions against illegal migrants that had led to weeks of protests and forced tens of thousands of Africans to flee the country.
The Home Affairs Department said the directive created “serious consequences” as its offices became “overwhelmed within a matter of days”.
Officials faced risks and “serious threats to public safety and order had emerged,” the department said.
“The department will embark on a fresh process,” it added.
Anti-illegal immigration groups called for protests on Thursday, which sparked the violence.
In Durban, crowds torched at least 14 vehicles and set a municipal building alight. Police arrested three foreign nationals for allegedly assaulting a South African protester.
In Soweto, crowds torched at least 10 vehicles and looted small convenience stores.
South Africa, the continent’s wealthiest nation, has long attracted migrants from across Africa.
The country has experienced periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence for nearly two decades. Some locals claim foreign nationals take scarce jobs and resources, though these claims are disputed.
Complaints about illegal immigration have grown ahead of local government elections on 4 November. Unemployment sits above 30%, another key issue.
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At least four foreign nationals died in violence earlier this year, according to South African police. Some African governments said the toll was higher.
The largest numbers of foreign nationals who left came from Zimbabwe and Malawi.
People from Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda also fled. Some governments repatriated their nationals, raising diplomatic tensions with Pretoria.
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