President orders 510 troops to KwaZulu-Natal to curb anti-migrant unrest

President Cyril Ramaphosa approved the dispatch of 510 troops to the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal, with the mission running from Oct 9 until Nov 30 and budgeted at 34.1 million rand. The forces are to back police efforts to contain anti-migrant protests that have escalated across the country this year. The unrest, which has drawn international criticism, includes violent incidents in Durban and Soweto where vehicles were torched, shops looted, and a foreign national allegedly beaten to death.

Officials attribute the flare-up to misinformation surrounding a July Constitutional Court ruling that asylum seekers cannot be denied entry solely on procedural grounds. The move comes as the nation prepares for local government elections on Nov 4, and follows calls by anti-migrant groups for nationwide demonstrations.