Court bars anti-immigrant protesters from going near Home Affairs

Two men involved in anti-immigrant violence have been released on bail, with the requirement that they refrain from participating in further violent protests or approaching Home Affairs offices. Malizo Dzanibe, Sphelele Shinga (also known as Magolide), and Wandile Nsibande appeared in a Durban Magistrates Court on Monday, following their arrest on Saturday.

They were among 24 individuals who faced the court. Shinga's charges stemmed from statements he made about shutting down the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Dzanibe and Nsibande's charges arose from the protest last week, during which immigrants faced harassment, businesses were vandalized, and vehicles were set ablaze. Dzanibe and Shinga were granted bail, while Nsibande remains in custody due to his prior parole for a kidnapping conviction and an ongoing assault case in Eshowe.

The accused were represented by a group of lawyers led by Xolani Zuma, husband of March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma. On Monday, 21 other accused individuals appeared in the same court for related charges, with only one being granted bail. Hundreds of March and March supporters gathered outside the court to express their backing for the accused.

All 24 accused will return to court on October 16 for additional bail hearings. Throughout the previous week, protesters targeted asylum seekers at the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre in Durban. On Thursday, demonstrators marched from the center, leading to a fire at a scrapyard allegedly owned by an immigrant, the destruction of numerous shops, and looting in some cases.

Acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane reported that 14 vehicles were burned. By Sunday, the army was deployed to certain areas of KwaZulu-Natal. The unrest was sparked by false claims regarding the Constitutional Court's Scalabrini judgment on July 7, which stated that it granted asylum seekers citizenship. However, the court only invalidated procedural barriers in the Refugees Act that enabled officials to reject asylum seekers before their claims were reviewed.

Home Affairs denounced these allegations as "completely false," alleging a coordinated disinformation campaign. An examination of approximately 98,000 posts on X traced the earliest high-engagement posts back to March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma.