Ramaphosa deploys troops in South Africa
South Africa will deploy troops in KwaZulu-Natal to ensure security in a province that has witnessed incidents of anti-immigrant violence, as the country prepares for municipal elections next week.
President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered 510 troops to remain in the province through the end of next month, his office said in a statement on Tuesday.
The troops will help police to keep order in KwaZulu-Natal “in light of recent violent actions arising from a campaign of misinformation” about refugees, the presidency said.
South Africans will vote in municipal elections on 4 November.
The country, which has a history of sometimes-deadly xenophobic violence, has seen a recent spate of attacks on foreigners, including in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal’s largest city, where a mob beat a foreigner to death in the city centre last week and looted shops and burned vehicles earlier this month.
The coastal province was also the centre of anti-government riots in 2021, triggered by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, in which at least 354 people were killed.
Zuma is from KwaZulu-Natal, and his uMkhonto weSizwe Party emerged as the province’s largest party in the 2024 general election. It is expected to deliver another strong performance next week.
The troops will be on standby to help police in case they are needed, and the deployment is expected to cost R34 million rand, the presidency said.
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