South Africa’s anti-immigration protests have once again raised serious questions about public safety, law enforcement and the protection of foreign nationals. President Cyril Ramaphosa has
authorised the deployment of 510 members of the South African National Defence Force to KwaZulu-Natal to support police in maintaining law and order under Operation Prosper. The move
follows violent protests in Durban, where businesses were looted, property was damaged and a foreign national was reportedly beaten to death by a mob. The government has linked the unrest to
misinformation surrounding a Constitutional Court judgment on the Refugees Act, which has fuelled tensions around asylum seekers and immigration. The deployment, which is expected to cost more than R34 million and run until the end of November, comes just days before the local government elections. But the question is whether deploying soldiers will be enough to prevent further violence, or whether it risks treating the symptoms of a much deeper problem. What is driving these protests, how much of the anger is rooted in legitimate concerns about immigration and service delivery, and where does legitimate protest end and criminality begin? We examine whether the military presence can restore calm, protect vulnerable communities and ensure that the responsibility for enforcing immigration laws remains with the state, rather than vigilante groups.

South Africa&rsquo;s anti-immigration protests have once again raised&nbsp;serious questions about public safety, law enforcement and the&nbsp;protection of foreign nationals. President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 510 members of the South African&nbsp;National Defence Force to KwaZulu-Natal to support police in&nbsp;maintaining law and order under Operation Prosper. The move follows violent protests in Durban, where businesses were looted,&nbsp;property was damaged and a foreign national was reportedly beaten&nbsp;to death by a mob. The government has linked the unrest to misinformation surrounding a Constitutional Court judgment on the&nbsp;Refugees Act, which has fuelled tensions around asylum seekers&nbsp;and immigration.&nbsp;The deployment, which is expected to cost more than R34 million&nbsp;and run until the end of November, comes just days before the local&nbsp;government elections. But the question is whether deploying&nbsp;soldiers will be enough to prevent further violence, or whether it&nbsp;risks treating the symptoms of a much deeper problem. What is&nbsp;driving these protests, how much of the anger is rooted in legitimate&nbsp;concerns about immigration and service delivery, and where does&nbsp;legitimate protest end and criminality begin? We examine whether&nbsp;the military presence can restore calm, protect vulnerable&nbsp;communities and ensure that the responsibility for enforcing&nbsp;immigration laws remains with the state, rather than vigilante&nbsp;groups.

METRO FM Talk with Faith Mangope