By Nigel Pfunde
PRETORIA — President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorized the deployment of 510 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to KwaZulu-Natal to assist police in quelling violent unrest triggered by widespread misinformation regarding a recent Constitutional Court ruling on foreign national asylum rights.
In an official notification to Parliament, Ramaphosa formally informed National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and National Council of Provinces Chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane of the executive decision to dispatch military personnel under Operation Prosper. The military contingent will collaborate directly with the South African Police Service (SAPS) across affected areas in the province.
According to an official statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, “President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed the Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Thoko Didiza and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Honourable Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane of his decision to deploy five hundred and ten (510) members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), for the service of cooperation with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in support of Operation Prosper.”
The executive intervention comes on the heels of escalating public volatility and anti-migrant violence. Government officials attributed the tensions to false narratives circulating about the apex court’s judgment on procedural aspects of the Refugee Act. Clarifying the purpose behind the military intervention, the Presidency stated that “the members of the SANDF will assist the SAPS in maintaining law and order in KZN, especially in light of recent violent actions arising from a campaign of misinformation about the Constitutional Court judgment on the Refugee Act,” adding that “the members of the SANDF will be on standby to support the police for any eventuality that may occur.”
The troop deployment, which draws its legal authorization from section 201(2)(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, runs for a fixed period from October 9, 2026, through November 30, 2026. SA Treasury estimates set the financial burden of the operation at R34,082,720.
