CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s president has authorized the deployment of the military for a year to fight crime in some of the country’s most violent areas.
The move highlights how Africa’s major economies are struggling to rein in high rates of violent crime.
Looking at the deployment situation in numbers:
Soldiers deployed: 2,200
South Africa’s constitution requires President Cyril Ramaphosa to inform parliament of his order to deploy troops. In a notice to lawmakers, he said 2,200 troops had been deployed to assist police in law enforcement operations targeting two specific criminal threats: gang-related violence and illegal mining run by criminal groups.
Deployment duration: 13 months
Ramaphosa said the soldiers will be deployed on the streets from March 1 this year to March 31, 2027.
Cost: $49.2 million
Ramaphosa’s decision to use the military to fight crime has been largely welcomed, although some opposition parties initially questioned the cost of the operation. Some crime-weary communities cheered the soldiers on the streets of Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, when they were deployed for the first time last week.
Number of provinces: 5
Soldiers will be deployed in five of South Africa’s nine provinces. These include the economic center Gauteng, where Johannesburg is located, and the Western Cape, where the second largest city, Cape Town, is located.
The army will also work to combat crime in the North West, Free State and Eastern Cape provinces.
Problem crimes targeted: 2
Ramaphosa said the deployment would specifically help police tackle gang-related violence and illegal mining.
In South Africa, gang violence results in hundreds of homicides each year, particularly in the impoverished neighborhood known as Cape Flats on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa’s top tourist city.
Authorities estimate that some 30,000 illegal miners operate at some of South Africa’s 6,000 abandoned gold and other mines. Authorities say mining gangs often carry weapons and use violence to protect their territories and are controlled by criminal syndicates.
Ramaphosa said gang violence and illegal mining are the two biggest threats to South Africa’s democracy and economic development.
Goal: 4
Police officers in charge of soldiers during law enforcement deployments said they had four key operational objectives: reducing crime in designated problem areas, apprehending criminals, recovering illegal firearms and explosives and confiscating drugs.
Last deployed: 3 years ago
This is not the first time South Africa has used its military to fight crime, although it is the longest deployment in recent years. In 2023, Ramaphosa deployed more than 3,000 troops to certain crime hotspots for a month.
Later that year, the army was deployed after a series of truck burnings on main roads raised fears of wider civil unrest.
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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa