As 69 people accused of public violence packed into the Humansdorp Magistrates' Court, the Jeffreys Bay communities hit by violent anti-migrant protests last week were steadily returning to normal.

If you did not know better, you could have walked into Court A of the Humansdorp Magistrates' Court on Monday and thought a packed public gallery was waiting for proceedings to get under way.

However, the public gallery served as a makeshift dock for the 69 people who made their first court appearance after being arrested for public violence and trespassing last week.

Moments before the case was called, people in the gallery were asked to vacate the courtroom while officials puzzled over the logistics of accommodating the crowd who faced charges related to an anti-migrant protest that turned violent on Thursday, 16 July 2026.

By the time Public Order Policing arrested the suspects in question and managed to restore peace to the townships of Ocean View, Pellsrus and Madiba Bay in Jeffreys Bay, 23 shops belonging to foreign nationals had been looted.

Fortunately, as the accused stood before the magistrate, calm had returned to the neighbourhoods - it was mostly business as usual for the shops and surrounding residents.

The 69 accused are scheduled to return to court on 23 October after the matter was postponed for further investigation.

Sixty of the accused were first offenders and were released...