South Africa Deploys 510 Troops to KwaZulu-Natal Ahead of Elections Amid Anti-Migrant Unrest

South Africa Deploys 510 Troops to KwaZulu-Natal Ahead of Elections Amid Anti-Migrant Unrest

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed 510 soldiers to the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal to support police in maintaining law and order, his office announced on Tuesday. The troops will serve under Operation Prosper alongside the South African Police Service, with the deployment running from October 9 until November 30 at an expected cost of about 34.1 million rand.

The move follows recent violence linked to misinformation about a Constitutional Court judgment on the Refugee Act. False claims that the ruling grants blanket amnesty to undocumented foreign nationals have fuelled anti-migrant protests, some of which turned violent in Durban and in Johannesburg's Soweto township, with vehicles torched and shops looted. Earlier this month police arrested 30 suspects — 25 in KwaZulu-Natal and five in Gauteng — in connection with public violence and unlawful protests.

The timing matters: South Africans vote in municipal elections on November 4, and anti-migrant groups have called for nationwide protests. The government has stressed that the court ruling does not automatically grant refugee status, and says the soldiers are on standby to support police against any eventuality. Thousands of foreign nationals have already fled the country this year after months of marches, some of which drew international criticism.

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