South Africa: More than 500 troops sent to deal with anti-immigration protests in KwaZulu-Natal

More than 500 soldiers have been sent to deal with anti-migrant protests in South Africa, the country's government has said.

In a post on X on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said 510 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were being deployed to the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to help police carry out Operation Prosper.

The deployment comes after months of anti-migrant protests against what the government called a "disinformation campaign" over a court ruling.

It also comes ahead of local elections to be held next month.

Troops will be placed "on standby to support the police for any eventuality that may occur" until 30 November, according to the South African government.

The overall cost is estimated to be little over 34m Rand (£1.5m), the post said.

Anti-migrant marches have been going on for months in South Africa, some leading to violent clashes, provoking international criticism and prompting thousands of African foreign nationals to leave the country.

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Protests earlier this month in Durban, the biggest city in the east coast province, and ​Johannesburg's Soweto township turned violent, with vehicles ​burned and shops looted.

A ​foreign national was also allegedly beaten to ⁠death by a crowd in Durban last week.

Soldiers have already been used to help deal with other protests, including in Hillbrow, in Johannesburg, in June.

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