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South Africa asylum posts rise from 4,000 to 60,000 a day

By , based on Daily Maverick

Map: South Africa

Posts related to a South African Constitutional Court decision on asylum applications rose from around 4,000 to 60,000 a day on X between 3 and 8 October. The false claims later fuelled mobilisation in Durban ahead of the 4 November local elections, according to Daily Maverick and Murmur Intelligence.

Posts about asylum in South Africa rose from around 4,000 to 60,000 a day on the social network X after a Constitutional Court ruling issued in July was implemented in October. The ruling prohibits refusing an asylum seeker on procedural grounds before their application has been examined, the Daily Maverick reports, based on data from Murmur Intelligence.

Many posts circulated after this increase contained false claims about citizenship, social grants and voting. The online conversation then spread to street mobilisation in Durban, ahead of the 4 November 2026 municipal elections.

Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.

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