South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved the deployment of 510 soldiers to KwaZulu-Natal to help police keep order during anti-immigration protests in Durban, a move that will be watched closely by the many Zimbabweans living in the province.

Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will support the police until 30 November, at a cost of R34 million, EWN and Nova News reported on Monday. The deployment forms part of Operation Prosper, an ongoing joint security operation in several provinces.

As the Constitution requires, Ramaphosa informed Parliament of the deployment in writing. EWN reported that the notice is dated 21 October and that the soldiers will be "on standby for any eventualities". Some SANDF members were already reported to be present in parts of Durban.

How the unrest started

Ramaphosa said misinformation about a court judgment led to violence during the protests, EWN reported. News24 reported that he linked the violence to false claims about a Constitutional Court ruling on refugees.

Government officials have explained that the ruling restored access to the asylum decision process for certain applicants, but did not give undocumented migrants automatic refugee status, permanent residence or a blanket amnesty, Nova News reported. Officials have also warned that enforcing immigration law is the state's job, not that of vigilantes.

The protests turned violent in Durban early in October. Nova News reported that 14 vehicles were torched and foreign-owned shops were looted, and that KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli asked for the army's help. SABC News reported on 10 October that soldiers were patrolling Durban's city centre alongside police after officers were outnumbered by protesters.

The unrest has continued through the month. EWN reported that one person was killed during protests in Durban just over a week before Monday's announcement.

The Zimbabwean angle

Zimbabweans are by far the largest migrant group in South Africa, according to zimDaily, which cited South Africa's 2022 census: 1,012,059 people born in Zimbabwe were living there, up from 672,308 in 2011.

Earlier this month, SABC's Lotus FM reported that hundreds of Zimbabwean nationals were transported out of Chatsworth, south of Durban, by their embassy as many foreign nationals feared for their safety.

zimDaily also reported on Sunday that Cabinet in Harare was told that 197,294 Zimbabweans have returned home from South Africa since the anti-migrant campaigns began, 42,553 of them on government-arranged transport. zimDaily said it could not independently verify the government's figures.

Why it matters

With so many Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa, the unrest in Durban reaches directly into families back home. The soldiers will stay on standby until the end of November.

It also comes as Zimbabwe's government is dealing with the return of large numbers of citizens, many of whom will need work, housing and school places at home. How long the soldiers stay, and whether the protests ease, will shape whether that flow of returnees grows again.

Sources: EWN (Babalo Ndenze), 26 Oct 2026: https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/10/26/ramaphosa-approves-deployment-of-510-soldiers-to-kzn · Nova News, 26 Oct 2026: https://novanews.co.za/soldiers-deployed-to-kwazulu-natal-amid-anti-immigration-protests/ · News24 (Jan Gerber), 26 Oct 2026: https://www.news24.com/politics/misinformation-about-concourt-refugee-judgment-sparked-kzn-violence-says-ramaphosa-20261026-0666 · SABC News, 10 Oct 2026: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/sandf-deployed-in-durban-cbd-after-violent-protests/ · SABC Lotus FM Newsbreak (Tashlan Naidoo): https://omny.fm/shows/lotus-fm-newsbreak-sabcnews/podcast-hundreds-of-zimbabwean-nationals-transported-from-chatsworth-amid-anti-immigrant-protests · zimDaily (Tendai Gumbo), 25 Oct 2026: https://www.zimdaily.com/article/diaspora-2026-10-25-durban-mob-200000-home/

Related: Mudenda says UK Commons Speaker will back Zimbabwe's Commonwealth bid