President Cyril Ramaphosa has resolved to deploy soldiers to communities under siege from gangsters in the Western Cape and illegal mining activities in Gauteng.
Ramaphosa made the announcement during his state of the nation address before the joint sitting of the two houses of parliament on Thursday night.
This comes amid reports that violent crime and gangsterism have resulted in the killing of about 345 people in the Western Cape since the beginning of 2026, which critics say is tantamount to a war-zone situation.
The violent crime situation is dire, especially in communities surrounding the Cape Flats, where gangsterism and drug-trafficking have been a problem for many years.
Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the Western Cape after repeated calls by the DA-led provincial government, political parties and civil society groups.
“The cost of crime is measured in lives that are lost and futures that are cut short. It is also felt in the fear that permeates societies. Children in the Western Cape are caught in the crossfire of wars. Women are murdered in their homes.
“Organised crime is now the most immediate threat to our democracy, society and development. Our focus this year is … crime and criminal syndicates. And we will do so using technology. We will tackle organised crime by consolidating intelligence.
“To strengthen our fight against gang violence, I will be deploying the SANDF to support the police as we did to great effect with illegal mining,” said Ramaphosa to loud applause from MPs, especially from ANC and DA benches.
“I have directed the minister of police to develop a tactical plan where our security forces should be deployed in the next few days. As is required by the constitution, I will inform the parties regarding timing, place, and cost. At the same time we are implementing an integrated strategy to address the root cause of crime. We are going to tackle gun crime by streamlining legislation on possession.”
He said 5,500 police officers would be added to the 20,000 that were announced last year.
The last time members of the SANDF were deployed to trouble-shoot problems in the Western Cape was during the Covid-19 lockdown.
TimesLIVE
Thabo Mokone
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