In the Eastern Cape province, a group of people have gathered outside the Gqeberha Home Affairs refugee offices to try, and disrupt the hundreds of asylum seekers applying for permits following the Constitutional Court ruling that invalidated parts of the Refugees Act.
This includes procedural requirements like showing good cause or holding a transit visa. The asylum seekers claim that they fled their countries due to internal conflicts and wars.
Some South Africans expressed dissatisfaction with the court ruling and have picketed outside the premises.
Tensions were high as police used stun grenades to disperse community members gathered outside the Gqeberha Home Affairs refugee offices in the Eastern Cape on Thursday, to disrupt the hundreds of asylum seekers applying for permits following the Constitutional Court ruling. The asylum seekers claim that they fled their countries due to internal conflicts and wars. Meanwhile, some South African community members expressed dissatisfaction towards the court ruling and picketed outside the premises.
Credit : Mcebisi Slengile
— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 8, 2026
Police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd of about 30 protesters earlier this Thursday.
One of the protesters, Khaliphile Mbanyane, says they feel that the government has failed them.
“Before this ruling came, we were all South African citizens asking for our government to assist us in taking all the illegal immigrants out of the country. Now, instead of the government assisting us, as they say that they are here to assist us as citizens, the Constitutional Court ruled against South African citizens. Basically, we are here to disrupt the process of them being let in, flocking in numbers to be let in the immigration office. We are here to disrupt that.”
Asylum seekers flock to Gqeberha refugee offices:
