The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed to help the Western Cape’s police curb gangsterism and its ensuing violence across the precincts with the highest murder rates in the province.
Minister of Police Bheki Cele announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa had given the go-ahead for soldiers to be deployed to gang-infested areas across the Cape during his budget speech on Thursday, July 11.
The 10 precincts identified by Cele for deployment include:
- Bishop Lavis
-
Mitchells Plain
- Delft
- Elsies River
- Nyanga
- Khayelitsha
- Mfuleni
- Philippi
- Kraaifontein
- Manenberg
These 10 areas have contributed to 42% of the province’s murder rate. According to News24, soldiers will be deployed to these hotspot areas after 2pm on Friday July 12.
“The recurring scenes of scattered dead bodies in the streets of Philippi, Mitchells Plain and Nyanga are unbearable. It is on that score that I challenge all generals in the SAPS to surrender their uniforms if this situation does not improve,” Cele said during his budget speech.
The SANDF’s deployment will last at least three months, and it will focus on the following:
– Deploying troops for cordon and search, strong points in hotspots, observation, foot and vehicle patrols
– Air support for troops and identification of substance manufacturing labs
– Any other operations that may be determined from time to time.
