President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed confidence in the plan to deploy members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle illegal mining and gang violence in Gauteng and the Western Cape. He made the announcement during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday evening.
While the decision was widely welcomed, concerns have been raised over the financial viability of the deployment, given the ongoing budgetary challenges faced by the Defence Ministry. Addressing these concerns during a media briefing on the sidelines of the Presidential Golf Challenge at the Atlantic Beach Golf Estate in Melkbosstrand, Ramaphosa assured that the budget for the deployment will be discussed in Parliament in the coming days.
The President sought to dispel narratives suggesting a failing South African Police Service (SAPS), emphasizing that the deployment is intended to strengthen the government’s response to rising criminal activity.
“I am not going to tell you about the interventions because if I tell you about the time of tactical intervention, those people who are doing the wrong things, the gangs, will now know in advance what we are going to do. We are going to keep the interventions to ourselves, and the soldiers and police will implement them as effectively as possible,” Ramaphosa told reporters. “We don’t want to spoil anything because government will be blamed of lying and failing the people.”
The announcement comes against the backdrop of South Africa’s recent withdrawal of SANDF personnel from the UN’s MONUSCO peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ramaphosa justified the decision, citing the need to realign SANDF resources to address pressing domestic challenges.
Security analysts say the deployment highlights the government’s increasing reliance on military support to curb crime, although logistical, financial, and operational challenges will need to be carefully managed to ensure effectiveness.
