South African police seek court ban on anti-immigration marches

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African police have asked the courts to halt planned marches by anti-illegal immigration groups in the coastal city of Durban following alleged threats of violence and plans to burn down a refugee reception office in the city.

The application to block the marches follows recent violence at some of the demonstrations, which reportedly left a foreign national dead last week.

The KwaZulu-Natal High Court on Wednesday granted an interim order against the demonstrators, but will consider Friday whether to make the order permanent.

Some African countries have repatriated their citizens following the violence. In some cases, protesters have set unofficial deadlines for foreigners who had entered illegally to leave.

Earlier this month, at least 24 cars were torched and shops looted as protests over a court ruling easing access to asylum turned violent.

March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma criticized the government and police action, saying it was an attempt to suppress demonstrations.

The government has deployed over 500 soldiers to KwaZulu-Natal province, which includes the city of Durban.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also spoke out against violence at the protests, vowing that the police would clamp down on people breaking the law.

“There are those who are exploiting public sentiment around illegal migration to stir up communities and to provide cover for criminality," Ramaphosa told a meeting of businesspeople in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.

With South Africans set to vote in local elections next week, the issue of illegal immigration has featured prominently in the campaign.