Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has taken a leading role in coordinating the police response to violent protests in Durban and Soweto, which left 24 vehicles torched on Thursday, 8 October.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane confirmed that Mkhwanazi was leading a meeting of all provincial police commissioners to assess the unrest and coordinate operations across affected areas.
The move came as soldiers from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were seen patrolling Soweto following clashes between residents and foreign nationals.
Dimpane also ordered stronger crime intelligence operations and reinforced Public Order Police deployments amid concerns over further violence.
MKHWANAZI LEADS HIGH-LEVEL POLICE RESPONSESOWETO UNREST | Persons responsible for these criminal acts will be pursued and brought to book. Police are on the ground in the affected areas, and resources have been deployed, including Crime Intelligence. Law enforcement will respond decisively to any further acts of… pic.twitter.com/2DfUCl5Dwh
— Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (@CrimeWatch_RSA) October 8, 2026
Addressing the media in Soweto on Thursday night, Dimpane said senior police commanders were assessing developments across the country.
She confirmed that the divisional commissioner for Intelligence had been instructed to strengthen intelligence gathering, identify emerging threats and support police deployments.
The directive followed violent confrontations in Orlando West, Soweto, and Durban’s city centre.
“We have a policing plan in place, and we will continue to adapt our deployments as the situation develops,” Dimpane said.
Police also reinforced Public Order Police units in areas where protests or further unrest could occur.
ARMY DEPLOYED AS SOWETO CLASHES ESCALATEDEVELOPING | SABC News reporter Mbalenhle Mthethwa brings the latest updates following a looting incident in Soweto. For more news, visit https://t.co/N9V5BF50jx pic.twitter.com/ksbJpyLG7o
— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 8, 2026
The SANDF presence marked a further security development after violence erupted in Orlando West.
The unrest began when residents protested against a Constitutional Court ruling concerning asylum applications.
Protesters later targeted foreign-owned spaza shops, with violence escalating along Khumalo Street.
Several vehicles were set alight, while people entered shops and removed goods.
Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Xolani Fihla said officers were investigating reports of shots fired towards protesters.
Police had not established who fired the shots.
DURBAN UNREST LEAVES 14 VEHICLES TORCHEDThe soldiers have been deployed to Soweto following the violent clashes that erupted earlier today between South Africans and foreign nationals @NkosinathiShazi pic.twitter.com/W9dv9z21fc
— POWER987News (@POWER987News) October 8, 2026
Similar protests erupted in Durban, where demonstrators demanded that Home Affairs stop processing asylum applications.
Violence broke out near the city’s Refugee Reception Centre before spreading into parts of the central business district.
Police confirmed that protesters torched 14 vehicles in Durban and another 10 in Soweto.
Dimpane also confirmed that police arrested three foreign nationals in KwaZulu-Natal.
The SAPS briefing did not provide a confirmed arrest tally for Soweto.
Authorities have not established whether organisers coordinated the unrest in the two cities.
DIMPANE WARNS OF ARRESTSDimpane warned that police would pursue those responsible for burning vehicles, damaging property and attacking people.
“Do not mistake restraint for weakness,” she said.
She maintained that authorities would act against anyone who committed a crime, regardless of nationality.
WATCH | Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane says police will not tolerate lawlessness, the destruction of property or the torching of vehicles. Her remarks follow incidents in Soweto and Durban CBD, where vehicles were set alight during recent… pic.twitter.com/GaLDhtC8dp
— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 8, 2026
The protests followed a Constitutional Court ruling that removed certain procedural barriers preventing asylum seekers from submitting applications.
However, the judgment does not automatically grant refugee status or permanent residence.
Government has urged communities to allow the legal process to unfold.
Meanwhile, SAPS has strengthened its intelligence operations and policing deployments as senior commanders coordinate the response to the unrest.