Soldiers were seen on the streets in Johannesburg on Wednesday in the first major deployment after President Cyril Ramaphosa said last month that he would use the army against what he described as organised crime and the “most immediate threat” to South Africa’s democracy and economic development.
Crime experts have expressed concern over Ramaphosa’s latest deployment plans, saying that the army isn’t a long-term solution to fighting crime, and soldiers aren’t experts in domestic law enforcement.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has backed Ramaphosa and said that the army would act in support of police and “their operations in particular locations”.
He said that the deployment is time-limited and meant to stabilise areas “where people are losing their lives” every day.
Residents reported that armed and uniformed soldiers backed by police conducted house-to-house searches on Wednesday, lifting mattresses and opening cupboards as they asked about drugs and weapons
Ramaphosa announced in his State of the Nation address that due to South Africa’s high crime rate, which includes on average 60 murders a day, he was deploying the army to some of the country’s hotspots. Ramaphosa said many of the murders were linked to turf battles between gangs involved in drugs..
“Organised crime is now the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development,” Ramaphosa said in a state of the nation address last month.
The military deployment will last a year and cover five of the nine provinces, including the Western Cape, home to tourist hub Cape Town.