President Cyril Ramaphosa maintained that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be deployed despite criticism from opposition parties during his response at the SONA debate.
Speaking at the recently erected Nieuwmeester Dome, the president said the army would be used to “capacitate” the South African Police Service (SAPS) in efforts to combat crime.
While Ramaphosa initially announced that only Gauteng and Western Cape would be affected by the deployment, he later confirmed that the Eastern Cape would also be included.
“We are going to deploy the defence force as we said, and we are going to add the Eastern Cape because the Eastern Cape people have added their voice to this. And yes, we are going to capacitate our police; we are going to make sure the defence force becomes focused on ensuring we rid our areas, and our country, of gang violence,” Ramaphosa said.
Earlier in the week, Chairperson of the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition, Llewelyn Macmaster, opposed the deployment of the army. He argued instead for the declaration of a state of disaster to compel the allocation of funds to combat crime in the Cape Flats.
“Gangsterism is not a military problem. It is a social, economic and developmental crisis expressing itself through violence. A state of disaster permits the declaration of a social compact, binding government, business and civil society to a sustained and multi-year programme of intervention. It empowers action rather than simply occupying these communities,” Macmaster said.
Photo: @PresidencyZA / Screenshot
