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South Africa is set to deploy army units alongside the police within the next 10 days in an effort to curb escalating violence linked to drug gangs and illegal mining, the police minister announced on Tuesday.
The decision is the latest in a string of hard-line steps taken by the government to rein in widespread criminality in a country that records one of the highest murder rates globally, with an average of around 60 killings every day.
Army and police commanders have completed “the deployment plan which will begin in the next 10 days”, acting police minister Firoz Cachalia told parliament.
President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the plan in a national address last week, stating that troops would be sent to the Western Cape—which includes the tourist hub of Cape Town—as well as Gauteng, home to the financial centre Johannesburg.
“Organised crime is now the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development,” Ramaphosa said.
Several areas of Cape Town are plagued by violent turf wars between rival drug gangs, while illegal miners continue to operate in Gauteng’s former gold-mining regions.
The deployment has faced criticism from some security analysts and opposition parties, who argue that soldiers lack the training required for routine policing.
Questions have also been raised about the financial cost of the operation, as well as claims that it effectively acknowledges the failure of the police to contain violent crime.
