Foreign-owned businesses have been looted and cars burnt as Soweto residents insist foreigners must leave their country and citizens must be propritised.
Residents, led by a group called Soweto Uprising 2026, stormed a foreign-owned spaza shop in Soweto during protests against illegal foreign nationals on Thursday night, October 8.
The protesters stated they want such shops to be owned and operated by South Africans.
They were filmed removing goods from the shop and claimed they were not looting them, but only wanted to take the goods outside for the owner to retiree them.
However, videos later show them making away with the goods.
Earlier, tensions flared when residents clashed with foreign shop owners, with some cars set on fire.
Johannesburg Metropolitan Department spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the current situation is regarded as criminal activity and police have been deployed to the ground.
“All the owners of these Spaza shops had to be vacated. They had to be moved to a safe area,” he said.
Fihla said no injuries have been reported.
Similar tensions have been witnessed in the Durban CBD, KwaZulu-Natal, where police fired tear gas at protestors and at least 11 cars were burned.
The Fire Department responded with several vehicles dispatched to the scene. The protestors began at the Home Affairs refugee offices.
Foreign nationals at the office were advised by the police to evacuate for their own safety.
Some community members who support the demonstration said the situation could have been prevented if immigration laws were stricter and South African citizens felt prioritised.
Swipe to watch videos from the scene below.
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