Judge Peter Olsen allowed the March and March movement to proceed with its planned demonstrations, but under tighter conditions following amendments to the government’s application.

Under the revised terms, the group may march between 9am and 3pm, with participants barred from carrying weapons or covering their faces. The group was also prohibited from destroying property or setting fire to buildings.

The matter is expected to return to court next year.

The court action was brought by acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, who was seeking to stop the demonstrations on the grounds that they threaten public order and the safety of foreign nationals.

He cited police intelligence about an alleged plot to set fire to the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre in Berea, an inner-city suburb of Durban where asylum seekers go to seek documentation.

The unrest has been fuelled by misinformation about a July Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers cannot be denied access to South Africa’s asylum system solely on procedural grounds, according to the police.