Ramaphosa sends 510 soldiers into KwaZulu-Natal until the end of November as Durban businesses count the damage

President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 510 South African National Defence Force members to KwaZulu-Natal until the end of November, in support of Operation Prosper, after what he described as a spate of looting and vandalism of small businesses in eThekwini and the murder of a foreign national in the Durban CBD.

He announced the deployment in the keynote address at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 170th Annual Gala Dinner in eThekwini on Wednesday evening.

“An investigation is underway into the killing of a man in the Durban CBD last week. We understand that this has created uncertainty for business, for whom the memories of 2021 are still fresh. While these incidents have been isolated, we are taking no chances,” Ramaphosa said.

“I have authorised the deployment of the South African National Defence Force in the province until the end of November. This demands vigilance from all of us, including the business community.”

The President put the case for the deployment in terms of what instability costs. “Prosperity depends on social stability,” he said. “Business cannot flourish where there is violence, where there’s intimidation and where there is lawlessness. Investment cannot thrive where communities live in fear or where communities are divided against one another.”

He returned to July 2021 as the reference point. “The events of July 2021 reminded us of the terrible consequences of instability. They also reminded us of the importance of protecting the democratic institutions and constitutional values upon which our society rests,” he said.

“In recent weeks, we were once again witnesses to disturbing incidents of violence, intimidation and attacks on businesses. These acts cannot be tolerated. Whatever grievances people may have, there can be no justification for violence, for looting, for destruction of livelihoods.”

Ramaphosa addressed the argument over illegal immigration directly, and framed it as a question of who is exploiting it. “Concerns about illegal immigration cannot be used as a pretext for criminality or for turning communities against one another. There are those who are exploiting public sentiment around illegal migration to stir up communities and to provide cover for criminality,” he said.

“Just as we refused to be turned against each other before, we will refuse to be divided now.”

He described eThekwini as the economic heart of KwaZulu-Natal, which he said requires stable, forward-looking leadership to consolidate gains made after a difficult period, and he urged the business audience to vote in the Local Government Elections on 4 November.

“I call on all of you to go out and vote. Let it be a vote for progress. Let it be a vote for recovery. Let it be a vote for shared prosperity for the people of eThekwini,” he said.

The document does not name the foreign national killed in the Durban CBD, does not say who is suspected or whether anyone has been arrested, and does not identify which small businesses were looted or vandalised. It also does not state which units of the SANDF are deploying or what tasks they will carry out under Operation Prosper.

This report is based on SAnews (South African Government News Agency), the government’s own news summary of the President’s address, and not on a full transcript of the speech: https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/violence-and-looting-ethekwini-cannot-be-tolerated-president-ramaphosa