South Africa To Deploy Army In Western Cape And Gauteng

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced plans to deploy the military to support police efforts in combating criminal gangs and illegal mining activities.

South Africa continues to grapple with one of the highest murder rates globally, with gang-related violence posing a serious national security concern.

“Organised crime is now the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development,” Ramaphosa said during his annual State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday.

“I will be deploying the South African National Defence Force to support the police,” he added.

Last month, Police Minister Firoz Cachalia acknowledged that law enforcement agencies were not yet capable of defeating the country’s violent criminal gangs, highlighting the depth of the crisis.

Addressing parliament, Ramaphosa said he had instructed police and military chiefs to develop an urgent deployment strategy, outlining where “our security forces should be deployed within the next few days”.

The initial military deployment will focus on the provinces of Western Cape and Gauteng — home to Cape Town and Johannesburg — due to escalating gang violence and illegal mining operations.

“Children here in the Western Cape are caught in the crossfire of gang wars. People are chased out of their homes by illegal miners in Gauteng,” Ramaphosa said.

Authorities have linked illegal miners, commonly referred to as “zama zamas” — often described as armed and undocumented foreign nationals — to organised crime syndicates operating across parts of the country.

Notably, Ramaphosa had ruled out sending troops to Cape Town just two weeks earlier, arguing that soldiers are trained for combat rather than community policing. He did not clarify the reason for the shift in position, though pressure has mounted for stronger action against gang violence.

In addition to the military intervention, the president unveiled broader anti-crime measures, including the recruitment of 5,500 new police officers, enhanced intelligence operations, and a crackdown on organised crime networks.

As Africa’s most industrialised economy, South Africa has long faced deep-rooted challenges with organised crime. Police statistics indicate that an average of 63 people were killed daily between April and September last year, underscoring the urgency of the government’s response.