GERMISTON, Gauteng — Law enforcement officers fired rubber bullets to contain escalating tensions during anti-migrant protests in Germiston, where residents took the law into their own hands to forcibly evict foreign nationals.
The volatile situation prompted police to deploy rubber bullets to disperse the crowds and restore order. Reports from the scene indicate that the discharge of rubber bullets began as officers attempted to regain control of the area, resulting in at least one male individual being shot during the unrest.
The crackdown follows a series of aggressive vigilante actions by local residents. Protesters were seen going house-to-house throughout the area, forcibly evicting individuals and physically dragging them by the scruff of their necks to hand them over to the police. The sweeps were indiscriminate, with residents targeting people regardless of whether they possessed proper documentation or passports, and showing no leniency toward children or the elderly.
The situation on the ground shifted when a high-ranking police official, identified as General Sithole, arrived at the scene to take command of the operation approximately an hour into the unrest. Visibly unimpressed by the afternoon’s chaos, General Sithole immediately addressed the officers on the ground to establish strict operational boundaries.
Speaking directly to the police, the General emphasized that lawlessness would not be tolerated under her command. She issued direct orders for the arrest of any residents caught taking the law into their own hands. Furthermore, she clarified the legal boundaries of the police operation, instructing officers that they are strictly prohibited from accepting foreign nationals—whether documented or undocumented—who are forcibly handed over to them by vigilante groups.