Law enforcement in South Africa engages in violent confrontation with demonstrators opposing foreign nationals in Durban

South African police deployed rubber bullets and teargas on Wednesday to break up a crowd of hundreds of protesters demonstrating against immigrants in Durban, a coastal city.

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The protests are part of a larger trend of anti-foreigner sentiment that has swept the country, often resulting in violent and sometimes deadly attacks on immigrants.

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With local elections approaching in less than a year, the issue has become a highly contentious political topic.

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The demonstration was organized by groups including political parties and the Operation Dudula movement, a xenophobic vigilante group whose name translates to "push back" in Zulu.

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The protesters marched through the streets, carrying signs and chanting slogans as they called for tougher action against undocumented foreign nationals.

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Initially, police managed to keep the protesters from reaching the beachfront, which they claimed was a hub of criminal activity, including drug dealing.

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However, a small group of protesters broke away from the main crowd, harassing bystanders and looting shops, prompting the police to use force to disperse them.

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Some shop owners, anticipating potential violence and looting, had closed their businesses before the protest began.

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Herman Mashaba, leader of the ActionSA party, which promises to strengthen immigration controls, said, "People can call us names, but we cannot allow our country to be destroyed before our very eyes."

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Mashaba also stated, "We are seeing our government allowing our country to be flooded by groups from all over the world, from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mexico, and elsewhere, which is unacceptable."

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Among the protesters was 81-year-old Thembi Dlamini, who had also participated in last year's protest and expressed concerns about corruption and job competition.

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Dlamini said, "I have seen my country decline because officials take bribes to issue documents illegally, and police allow drug trafficking because they are paid off," and added, "Jobs are being taken away by our brothers from other parts of Africa who are here illegally, leaving our children without opportunities."

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As the most industrialized economy on the continent, South Africa is a prime destination for people seeking work, despite its own unemployment rate of around 32 percent.

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Competition for jobs has fueled resentment among unemployed South Africans, who feel threatened by the presence of foreign workers.

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According to statistics, approximately three million foreigners, or 5.1 percent of the population, live in South Africa.