Ramaphosa Deploys Army to Support Police Amid Rising Gang Violence in South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to support police efforts in tackling rising gang violence and other serious crimes. The move follows persistently high murder rates linked to drug gang conflicts in Cape Town and illegal mining-related violence in Gauteng. Ramaphosa said organised crime poses a major threat to democracy and economic development, and outlined additional measures including recruiting more police officers and strengthening intelligence operations.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday announced that the government would deploy the country’s armed forces to work alongside the police in response to rising levels of gang violence and other serious crimes across parts of the country.
South Africa continues to face an extremely high murder rate, estimated at about 60 deaths every day. This includes killings linked to violent turf wars between rival drug gangs in communities around Cape Town, as well as mass shootings associated with illegal mining activities in Johannesburg, within Gauteng province. These incidents have heightened public anxiety and placed growing pressure on law enforcement agencies.
Speaking during his annual state of the nation address, Ramaphosa warned that organised crime now poses an immediate and serious threat to South Africa’s democracy, social fabric and economic development. He told a joint sitting of both houses of parliament that the government would deploy the South African National Defence Force to support the police in restoring security and combating violent criminal networks.
The president said he had instructed the leadership of both the police and the military to urgently develop a coordinated plan outlining where security forces should be deployed. He explained that these deployments are expected to begin within the next few days, focusing on crime hotspots in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces, where gang violence and illegal mining have been particularly damaging.
In addition to military support, Ramaphosa announced further measures to strengthen the fight against crime. These include the recruitment of 5,500 additional police officers, improved intelligence gathering, and a targeted approach to identifying and dismantling priority crime syndicates operating nationwide.
He said the cost of crime is reflected not only in the lives that are lost and the futures that are cut short, but also in the pervasive sense of fear felt across society. Ramaphosa added that high crime levels discourage business investment and undermine confidence, posing a serious challenge to the country’s economic growth and stability.