JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

Protesters on Tuesday allegedly set fire to a two-story government building housing the Department of Home Affairs in Germiston, Ekurhuleni city near Johannesburg, while protesting their eviction from a residential block of flats.

Protesters barricaded streets in Germiston on Tuesday morning to protest their eviction from a residential block of flats owned by the municipality, where they had allegedly been living without paying rent.

"We received a call at around 7 a.m. local time (0600GMT) and found that part of the roof on the first floor of the Home Affairs building had already collapsed," William Ntladi, Ekurhuleni's disaster and emergency management services spokesperson, told reporters on the scene.

He said the exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time. However, he added that it is suspected to be a case of arson, with some people allegedly using a petrol bomb to burn down the building.

Ntladi said there are no reports of injuries, but nearby buildings have been evacuated for safety.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said in a brief message posted on X that “Home Affairs is collating evidence and will open criminal charges against anarchists who set a block of flats on fire in Germiston, which then spread to the neighboring Home Affairs office. It’s nothing less than an attack on our social infrastructure and cannot stand.”

Police used rubber bullets to disperse residents of the Pharoe Park block flats who were throwing stones at them as they were escorted by court bailiffs to be evicted.

Workers from an eviction company were seen forcibly removing tenants' household items and placing them in the open. Such protests in South Africa usually turn violent, with protesters vandalizing property.

Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza told reporters that it is unfortunate that the facility has been burned. Residents will now have to travel far from their city to obtain identity documents, passports, birth and death certificates, he said.

"Burning down government property will not be tolerated, and the police are looking for the perpetrators and instigators," he stated.