As violent crime continues to grip parts of South Africa, more than 2,000 soldiers have been deployed to support police operations, with National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola urging communities to stand behind the army in the fight against escalating violence.
The deployment comes as violent incidents continue to rock several communities. In Eldorado Park, multiple people were shot and injured in a recent outbreak of violence that left two people dead, while ongoing gang clashes have also traumatised residents in Hanover Park on the Cape Flats, where shootings and street violence have been widely shared on social media.
Addressing the media in Pretoria on Sunday, Masemola stressed that defeating crime requires a collective effort from government institutions and communities.
“Public safety is a shared national priority. The fight against crime cannot be won by law enforcement alone. It requires partnership with communities, cooperation across government institutions, and sustained national commitment.”
ActionSA Member of Parliament Dereleen James has raised alarm over the impact of escalating gang violence, warning that communities on the Cape Flats are being traumatised by ongoing shootings and violent clashes while police struggle to respond to incidents.
James said she personally went to the Philippi Police Station over the weekend after watching violence unfold live on social media, describing a situation where gangs were openly clashing in the streets while residents waited for police intervention.
“I’m actually at a police station. I have been sitting and watching a TikTok for the past one and a half hours where people are stoning gangs, are stoning each other. People’s windows are being smashed. I’m actually hearing gunshots now for the past two hours,” she said.
“I’ve had to activate and come here myself now to come and find out why this police station is not responding. People are traumatising the community. I have called our national tower. There are cops. This police station cannot go in. They went in yesterday and they smashed the one vehicle. So the two vehicles already on the resource that’s here cannot go back into the community right now.”
James said residents and community leaders had been waiting for additional police support for hours while violence continued.
“We’ve been waiting for the cops. This is how seriously they take the issues of the Cape Flats. Waiting for cops since six o’clock. Since six o’clock we’ve been waiting. I’m waiting for the management of this province to meet me here in this police station now to find out why they are leaving those gangs…where is the deployment of SANDF.”
Masemola explained that the army deployment forms part of a 13-month national operation targeting major crime hotspots, identified through intelligence and crime analysis, including parts of Free State, Gauteng, North West Province, Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
He said the operation aims to give police operational space to tackle both street crime and organised criminal networks that have entrenched themselves in several communities.
“The purpose of this intervention is to provide space to the SA Police Service to deal with both street crime and to disrupt, disable and dismantle organised crime groupings through a coordinated operational framework,” Masemola said.
The joint deployment, coordinated through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), will focus on stabilising communities heavily affected by gang violence, illegal mining and organised criminal activity.
Masemola warned that criminal networks have become increasingly sophisticated and interconnected, linking gang violence, illicit mining, illegal firearms trafficking and corruption networks.
“The objectives of this joint deployment are clear and measurable,” Masemola said.
“Firstly, to stabilise priority crime hotspots where organised criminal networks have entrenched themselves secondly, to disrupt and dismantle syndicates involved in illicit mining and gang violence; and thirdly, to restore law, order and peace in affected communities, ensuring that residents are able to live without fear.”
He said the operation would also focus on reclaiming areas that have effectively been controlled by criminal networks.
“Fourthly, to reclaim territory that has been controlled or influenced by criminal networks and firmly reassert the authority of the State.”
Masemola added that the intervention was already underway, with joint operational teams beginning targeted enforcement operations and stabilisation activities.
The Star
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