Pretoria wants to secure lasting stability and rid the country of crime, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said<\/p>\n
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the deployment of the military is already helping restore stability in affected communities, but a permanent army presence will be costly.
\nSpeaking in the National Assembly at the Nieuwmeester Dome, Ramaphosa said the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in five provinces is assisting police and has been welcomed by communities. He was responding to a question from Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) MP Nhlanhla Hadebe about the safety improvements he expects from the deployment.
\nRamaphosa said the SANDF was being used as a \u201cforce multiplier\u201d to support the South African Police Service (SAPS) in addressing several crime challenges, including gangsterism in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng, as well as illicit mining in Gauteng and the North West Province.\u00a0\u201dThe\u00a0SANDF\u00a0deployment is necessary to complement the efforts of the SAPS in tackling these crimes and bringing stability to our communities,\u201d Ramaphosa told MPs.
\nHe said soldiers are operating under police command with clear rules of engagement and for specific, time-limited objectives.\u00a0\u201dThe army may be called on by the police to provide protection in high-risk areas or operations, or to support cordon-and-search operations and roadblocks against armed criminals,\u201d Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
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Soldiers deployed to combat crime in South Africa<\/p>\n
Soldier may also secure critical infrastructure, freeing police officers to focus on investigations. Ramaphosa rejected suggestions that the deployment indicates a failure by police.\u00a0\u201dThat is not the case. We are getting the police and the army to work together to handle the challenges our people are facing,\u201d he said. He added that the deployment will take place alongside other measures, including strengthening anti-gang units and illegal mining task teams.
\nPolice will also work with the National Prosecuting Authority in multidisciplinary operations aimed at targeting the leadership, finances and weapons networks linked to organised crime.\u00a0\u201dThrough this support, we aim to achieve a significant reduction in serious and violent crime in targeted areas, with the neutralisation of gang violence and illicit mining,\u201d Ramaphosa said.
\nThe deployment is being implemented gradually as the defence force moves into identified areas. Ramaphosa said the presence of soldiers has already been welcomed by residents.\u00a0\u201dWhere they become present, there is stability. We want to instil that stability and rid areas of criminality on a permanent basis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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He added that the deployment is for a specific timeframe and may be extended if necessary. Ramaphosa said public perceptions of the military have changed over time.\u00a0\u201dIn the past, whenever soldiers were deployed it created fear because they were seen as trained only to shoot and kill. Now our defence force has developed capabilities to serve communities, build bridges, rescue people in danger and support the police,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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He also pointed to the military\u2019s role during the 2021 South African unrest, when troops helped stabilise affected areas. During the State of the Nation Address 2026, Ramaphosa announced that the SANDF would be deployed to provinces with high crime rates, including Gauteng, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape. Earlier this week, soldiers working with SAPS officers conducted raids in Eldorado Park, Riverlea, Westbury and Sophiatown, searching for contraband, illegal weapons and other criminal activity.
\nA total of 550 SANDF members began their deployment in Gauteng on Wednesday as part of Operation Prosper, a joint operation with SAPS aimed at combating illegal mining and organised criminal networks. The deployment is expected to cost more than R80 million.
\nFirst published by IOL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pretoria wants to secure lasting stability and rid the country of crime, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the deployment of the military is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t