Follow-Up: Ramaphosa Formally Authorizes 510 SANDF Members Deployed to KwaZulu-Natal to Support Police Amid Anti-Migrant Violence Through November 30
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on October 27 formally informed Parliament that he has authorized the deployment of 510 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to KwaZulu-Natal, to cooperate with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in support of Operation Prosper and help maintain law and order amid recent violence linked to misinformation about a Constitutional Court judgment on the Refugee Act. The deployment runs from October 9 to November 30, 2026, at an expected cost of R34,082,720.
The Presidency said Ramaphosa informed National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and National Council of Provinces Chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane of the decision. SANDF members will assist the SAPS in maintaining law and order in KwaZulu-Natal and will be on standby to support the police for any eventuality. The deployment was authorized under section 201(2)(a) of the 1996 Constitution.
According to Reuters, the unrest followed a campaign of misinformation about a July Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers cannot be denied access to South Africa's asylum system solely for procedural reasons; the government has rejected claims that the ruling grants blanket refugee status to undocumented foreign nationals. Earlier this month, police arrested 30 suspects — 25 in KwaZulu-Natal and five in Gauteng — in connection with public violence and unlawful protests.
Anti-migrant protests in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal's biggest city, and in Johannesburg's Soweto township turned violent this month, with vehicles torched and shops looted. On October 22, a foreign national was beaten to death by a crowd in central Durban. The formal authorization also comes ahead of South Africa's November 4 local government elections, after anti-migrant groups called for nationwide protests.
SANDF soldiers had already arrived in central Durban on October 11 to help restore order at the request of the provincial premier; the presidential notification now sets out the troop number, the operation's name, the deployment period and the budget in formal terms.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 南非国防军士兵巡逻（Wikimedia Commons 开放授权图片）
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- 2026-10-27Follow-Up: Ramaphosa Formally Authorizes 510 SANDF Members Deployed to KwaZulu-Natal to Support Police Amid Anti-Migrant Violence Through November 30This story
