October 11, 2026 — South African soldiers have been patrolling central Durban alongside police since Saturday, after the KwaZulu-Natal premier asked for military help with violent anti-immigration protests. Police again used tear gas and rubber bullets on Saturday night, and the group behind the protests said it would resume its picket outside Durban’s refugee office on Sunday evening.
This updates our October 10 story.
What is new since Saturday
- Army on the streets. South African National Defence Force soldiers arrived in Durban on Saturday, October 10, and are patrolling the central business district with police, eNCA and the Sunday Times reported. Troop numbers and the length of the deployment have not been published. No state of emergency has been declared, the Rio Times reported.
- Saturday night. Police used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets as large crowds kept marching through Durban, according to IOL. We found no report of new arson.
- Arrests. The total stands at 19, plus one man arrested on Saturday for threatening to shut down the cup final at Moses Mabhida Stadium. The suspects are due in court on Monday, October 12.
- Next protests. The March and March group postponed Saturday’s picket and said it would resume on Sunday evening, October 11, outside the Durban Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road. Time: TBA. We found no report yet of what happened there.
- Monday. Asylum seekers are expected back at the refugee office on Monday, and officials warned violence could continue during the week, the Sunday Times reported.
- Areas affected. The Sunday Times names Glenwood, Umbilo, Point, the Durban central business district, Lamontville and Merebank.
- Johannesburg and Soweto. No new incident found on Saturday or Sunday.
- Deaths. None confirmed.
- Airport. No source reported disruption at King Shaka International Airport or on the roads to it.
Official advice
- We found no US Embassy or Consulate alert newer than the October 9 Security Alert from the US Consulate General in Durban. The embassy’s alerts page would not load.
- Advisory levels: no change found.
What it means for airline travelers
- Durban layovers: stay out of the central business district, Point, Glenwood, Umbilo, Lamontville and Merebank. Choose a hotel away from those districts.
- Monday in Durban: with the court appearance and the refugee office reopening on the same day, expect a heavy police and army presence downtown and possible road closures.
- Airport transfers: use a hotel shuttle or a booked car, travel in daylight, and ask the driver to avoid the city center.
- Do not photograph protests, soldiers or roadblocks. The violence has targeted foreign nationals.
- Emergency numbers: police 10111, or 112 from a mobile phone.
- Enroll in STEP (US) or Registration of Canadians Abroad.
Sources
- Sunday Times, “Army rolls into Durban as xenophobic violence rages”
- eNCA, “SANDF arrives in Durban”
- IOL / Sunday Tribune, “March and March to resume Durban picket on Sunday”
- IOL, “LIVE | Anti-Immigrant Protests: SANDF deployed to KZN, patrolling Durban CBD”
- EWN, “Police Ministry: State cannot afford R600m price tag for anti-illegal immigration protests”
- Rio Times, “South Africa Deploys Army in Durban as Unrest Continues”
- US Embassy and Consulates in South Africa, Security Alert: US Consulate General Durban, October 9, 2026
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