Behind The Lens | We take you closer to the anti-foreigner violence in Durban, Soweto

They say a picture tells a thousands words, and the expertly captured pictures from our lensmen in Durban and Johannesburg tell a story – tensions remain high in both cities after the violent assault of people, cars and properties – mostly foreign-owned. 

The violent protests also left many bloodied and bruised, as angry protesters armed with sticks and other weapons unleashed pain on some foreigners, particularly in the Durban CBD. 

IOL journalists in Durban, like Zainul Dawood, were there to watch the mayhem unfold, while in Johannesburg, IOL journalists like Kamogelo Moichela were at the scene to witness and document what had happened. 

You can read their respective reports here and here, but you can also stay tuned through this asylum seekers tag page here. 

You can also watch our multimedia video package, which has contributions from our lensmen such as Leon Lestrade, Doctor Ngcobo, Sibonelo Ngcobo and Itumeleng English.

In the Durban CBD, firefighters extinguished a reignited blaze on Joseph Ntuli Street that gutted several shops. 

One victim, a Ugandan herbalist who lost an R800,000 investment, recounted how his wife and five-year-old child narrowly escaped when protesters set an adjacent store alight. 

Meanwhile, demonstrators gathered outside Durban’s Home Affairs offices on Che Guevara Street, voicing suspicions over the legitimacy of male asylum seekers.

In Soweto, the situation on Khumalo Street is calm but fragile after 10 vehicles were torched during clashes linked to a Constitutional Court ruling. Unrest flared again outside the Orlando West Home Affairs office on Friday, as police clashed with residents and ActionSA members attempting to blockade the premises. 

In one of the tear-jerking pictures captured by Leon Lestrade, he shows a picture of a man, cloth in Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church attire, on his knees, with a bag and bible, bare-footed, praying at one of the violent scenes where property was destroyed less than 10 hours earlier. 

“I saw this gentleman praying in front of a closed shop. He was alone on his knees all by himself,” Lestrade reflected. 

When asked how capturing the picture made him feel, Lestrade said he felt very emotional. 

“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.”

— Elliott Erwitt. 

In another picture taken by Leon Lestrade, he shows a bloodied and bruised man, who appears to be a foreign national.

He was photographed beaten and bruised, on Thursday afternoon. 

In Soweto, lensman Itumeleng English captured the fiery scenes on Thursday night as locals torched several cars and forced foreigners to close their spaza shops in the area. 

He returned again on Friday as a government delegation led by Premier Panyaza Lesufi and acting national commissioner Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane visited the area again. 

There was a strong police contingent on Friday morning, including armoured vehicles from the Joburg Metro Police Department. 

Back in Durban, emboldened by the chaos of Thursday night, many of the protest leaders, who are by now regular faces, returned to the Home Affairs on Che Guavara Road, where they found the offices locked. 

They carried sticks and continued to sing anti-foreigner chants. Lensman Sibonelo Ngcobo was there to capture the scenes. Later, they marched into the Durban CBD in numbers. The Durban CBD itself was quiet, with many shops closed amid the violence.

Back in Johannesburg, there were more protests and a march towards the Constitutional Court in Joburg. Along the way, a vehicle was torched in the vicinity of the apex court. 

In the Johannesburg, shops were being closed in panic as the marchers descended. IOL’s Kamogela Moichela says the police presence was high as fears of looting spread among shop owners. 

Back in Durban, Zainul Dawood reports that the South African Police Services and Durban Metro Police have removed 14 vehicles that were set alight in a protest on Dr Pixley KaSeme Street in Durban on Friday.

The vehicles of various makes were torched overnight after protestors converged on the CBD in anti immigration march.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, accompanied by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Thami Ntuli, the Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who is also the National Project Leader for Organised Crime and the Acting Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Major General Phumelele Makoba, visited the Durban CBD to monitor law enforcement deployment and assess the stability and public order in and around Durban.

The walk about followed a comprehensive operational meeting which is currently underway at the KZN Provincial Police headquarters.