President Cyril Ramaphosa has resolved to deploy soldiers to communities under siege from illegal mining activities in Gauteng and gangsters in the Western Cape.
Ramaphosa made the announcement during his state of the nation address (Sona) before the joint sitting of the two houses of parliament on Thursday night.
His announcement comes at the back of recent incidents of illegal miners who fight among themselves and terrorise communities in Gauteng. One recent incident involved the community of Sporong in Randfontein, where 400 families were forced out of their homes due to illegal miners who threatened them with violence or rob them.
They found refuge in a hall, and premier Panyaza Lesufi had to intervene by deploying police in the area.
In the Western Cape, there were reports that violent crime and gangsterism have resulted in the killing of around 345 people since the beginning of the year, which critics say is tantamount to a war-zone situation.
The violent crime situation is dire, especially in the communities surrounding the Cape Flats, where gangsterism and drug-trafficking has been a problem for years on end.
Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the SANDF to the Western Cape following repeated calls by the DA-led provincial government and other key stakeholders, including 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 felt also 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 organised crime and criminal syndicates, and we will do so using technology. We will tackle organised crime by consolidating intelligence,” Ramaphosa said.
He said extra focus will also be made on fighting counterfeit goods such as tobacco and alcohol, adding that the Madlanga commission and the ad hoc committee have revealed massive corruption in the SAPS and municipal metro police departments. He said the State Security Agency will perform lifestyle audits on law enforcement officers.
“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.
He said he has directed the minister of police to develop a tactical plan on where our security forces should be deployed in the next few days.
“... At the same 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,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the government will be hiring 5,500 police officers, adding to the 20,000 officers he announced at last year’s Sona. − Additional reporting by Lindile Sifile
Sowetan
