Pretoria – President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 3,405 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers across all nine provinces to support police in maintaining law and order amid illegal migrant protests and threats of violence.
The deployment, which began on 28 June and will continue until 31 July under Operation Prosper, will cost R54 million.
Question of the day.
As part of Operation Prosper, government has announced the deployment of 3,000 SANDF soldiers, at a cost of R54 million, through the month of July.
The purpose is to prevent and combat crime. The amount is independent of the R600 million allocated for law… pic.twitter.com/PC3VOwPpTz— SABC News (@SABCNews) July 3, 2026
In a letter to Parliament, Ramaphosa said the troops are being deployed to prevent and combat crime and respond to any heightened security risks.
The military operation comes in addition to the South African Police Service’s R600 million security budget for the 30 June protests, which were largely peaceful despite isolated looting incidents, EWN reported.
Police arrested more than 900 people on charges ranging from immigration-related offences and public violence to robbery and the harbouring of undocumented migrants.
Meanwhile, soldiers were deployed to parts of Johannesburg’s inner city, where large numbers of migrants reside.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram
Picture: Screengrab
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
