South Africa’s (SA) Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia says the deployment of members of the SA National Defense Force (SANDF) to five provinces to combat gangsterism and illegal mining remains a temporary measure.
SA President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of 2 200 SANDF members to assist the South African Police Service starting in March in 2026. However, critics and experts say using the military for civilian law enforcement only offers short-term stabilisation.
Cachalia was speaking on Sunday in Reiger Park, east of Johannesburg where four people including two officers were shot dead on Friday night, “The government and the police service have been trying to respond. We allocated over a billion rand to support policing of areas affected by gang violence. So, safety and security are not negotiable. We appointed General Mkhwanazi to lead the fight against organised crime.
—SABC—
