Ramaphosa deploys 510 soldiers to KwaZulu-Natal until 30 November

President Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed 510 soldiers in KwaZulu-Natal until 30 November, at an expected cost of R34,082,720, the Presidency said on Tuesday.

The deployment period began on 9 October, 18 days before the statement was issued. Ramaphosa told Parliament’s two presiding officers of the decision: National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, who chairs the National Council of Provinces. The Presidency cited section 201(2)(a) of the Constitution as the authority for it.

The statement describes the work as cooperation with the police, the South African Police Service (SAPS), and says it supports Operation Prosper. The Presidency said they will help police keep order after recent violence that it linked to a misinformation campaign about the Constitutional Court’s Refugee Act judgment. The soldiers will wait on standby in case the police need them, it said.

The statement does not say where in the province the soldiers are stationed. It does not give a number of incidents or arrests, and it does not say whether the deployment could end before 30 November.

The period runs for 53 days, counting both 9 October and 30 November. The expected expenditure of R34,082,720 works out to about R643,000 a day, or about R66,800 for each member deployed.

The Presidency refers to the Constitutional Court’s judgment on the Refugee Act. We reported earlier that the government is seeking court supervision of the asylum ruling.

Kubayi, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, briefed the media in Pretoria on Monday after the committee met a delegation led by iNkosi Malusi Zondi, the Zulu King’s Chancellor. According to SAnews, the delegation included the Black Business Forum, Binca Nation and Hlangana Mzansi. Kubayi said the group told the committee it opposes illegal migration, not lawful immigration.

Kubayi urged people not to spread unverified claims about the judgment, and to confirm that what they read comes from a credible source.

The same SAnews report said the government will keep working from the five-point plan Ramaphosa announced in June. It covers enforcement of immigration law, border security, the immigration system, gaps in migration laws and cooperation with other African countries.

SAnews also reported that the committee raised clashing Gauteng High Court judgments on detaining illegal entrants who have applied for asylum, and asked for a full bench. It gave 29 October 2026, a Thursday, as the date the matter comes up.

Home Affairs, the department at the centre of the migration debate, reported one million Smart ID cards delivered through banks on 26 October. The deployment ends on 30 November. The Presidency has not said whether it will seek an extension.