South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the deployment of the military to support police efforts in tackling organised crime, including gang violence and illegal mining, amid growing concerns over public safety.
Speaking during his annual State of the Nation Address (Sona) to parliament on Thursday, Ramaphosa said organised crime now poses a direct threat to South Africa’s democracy, social stability and economic development.
“I will be deploying the South African National Defence Force to support the police,” he said, describing criminal syndicates as the country’s most immediate security challenge.
The deployment will initially focus on the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces, which have been severely affected by gang violence and illegal mining, respectively. The Western Cape includes Cape Town, while Gauteng is home to Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city.
Ramaphosa said he had instructed the heads of the police and the military to finalise deployment plans within days. He cited the impact of gang warfare on communities in the Western Cape, where children are frequently caught in crossfire, and the displacement of residents in parts of Gauteng by illegal miners.
Authorities have blamed illegal mining syndicates—often involving armed and undocumented foreign nationals known locally as “zama zamas”—for fuelling organised crime networks across the country.
The announcement marks a shift in Ramaphosa’s position. Just two weeks ago, he ruled out deploying troops to Cape Town, arguing that soldiers are trained for combat rather than community policing. He did not explain the change, but pressure has been mounting on the government to act as violence escalates.
Last month, Police Minister Firoz Cachalia acknowledged that law enforcement agencies were not yet capable of defeating criminal gangs, highlighting the scale of South Africa’s crime crisis.
In addition to the military deployment, Ramaphosa announced plans to recruit 5,500 new police officers, strengthen intelligence capabilities and intensify operations against organised crime syndicates.
South Africa continues to struggle with high levels of violent crime. Official police statistics show that an average of 63 people were killed each day between April and September last year.