South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs withdraws a directive requiring refugee reception offices to accept asylum applications, following operational problems and unrest linked to the directive’s rollout. Several outlets report that violence and protests occurred in Durban and Soweto around the time the instruction was implemented.

The department says the directive overwhelmed existing capacity at refugee reception offices after a Constitutional Court judgment, contributing to disorder. It also cites security concerns arising from the practical attempt to apply the ruling immediately. While outlets differ in emphasis—some foreground the protests and violence, others focus on the administrative strain—there is agreement that Home Affairs is stepping back from the directive.

All sources note that the underlying Constitutional Court ruling remains in force. Home Affairs says it will develop a new approach to comply with the judgment in a way that avoids further disruption, while continuing to address asylum processing within the legal framework.