Durban – Defence Minister Angie Motshekga has told Parliament that the government had only hours to prepare and deploy 510 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members to KwaZulu-Natal after protests linked to a Constitutional Court ruling on asylum seekers.
Motshekga was briefing the Joint Standing Committee on Defence on Friday, following questions from MPs about why Parliament received formal notification of the deployment only last week.
She said the situation had been treated as an emergency, requiring the Defence Force to mobilise personnel at short notice.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed 510 SANDF members to KwaZulu-Natal until 30 November.
The deployment will cost R34-million.
The soldiers will be monitoring the protests anti-illegal immigrations protests that have swept been taking place in parts of KZN, incl: Durban. https://t.co/hFQkc2C7v3
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) October 26, 2026
“When we got the request as an emergency, I had to call the Chief of Defence to get joint operations to prepare our people overnight. It was actually within hours to quickly deploy people to KZN,” she said according to EWN.
Motshekga acknowledged that, despite the urgency, the government was still required to inform the legislature about the deployment.
The briefing was the first time the minister and the Defence Force had formally addressed the committee since soldiers were sent to Durban in October.
President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of 510 SANDF members to KwaZulu-Natal under Operation Prosper, in support of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
SANDF DEPLOYMENT | President Cyril Ramaphosa says the South African National Defence Force was deployed in response to public calls for intervention. He stresses that soldiers are in KwaZulu-Natal to support the police, not replace them. https://t.co/e7B0Rh28nJ
— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 28, 2026
According to a notice issued by the Presidency on 27 October, the deployment runs from 9 October until 30 November 2026.
The operation is expected to cost the state R34,082,720.
The soldiers are intended to assist police in maintaining law and order and remain on standby to respond to possible unrest.
[WATCH] National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola says it’s all systems go for the police in KZN. He says police have identified at least 331 high-risk voting stations across the country and KZN accounts for at least 165 of those, with 124 in eThekwini. #Newzroom405 https://t.co/4x2eF0BR0B
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) October 30, 2026
The Presidency linked the deployment to violent incidents following misinformation surrounding the Constitutional Court judgment on the Refugees Act.
During Friday’s briefing, the Defence Force said the misinterpretation of the asylum ruling created a risk that protests could spread beyond KwaZulu-Natal to other parts of the country.
The deployment followed demonstrations against illegal immigration, some of which were accompanied by violence and looting.
The Constitutional Court ruling addressed procedural barriers that had prevented some people from accessing the asylum system. It did not automatically grant refugee status or permanent residence to undocumented foreign nationals.
The government has said misinformation about the judgment contributed to tensions and violent incidents.
The soldiers are deployed to support police operations, rather than replace the SAPS.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
