South African authorities officially announced on Sunday the deployment of more than 2 000 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel to work alongside police in tackling organised crime across multiple provinces.
General Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defence Force, together with Lieutenant Generals Mosikili and Sangweni, co-chairpersons of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints), outlined the framework for the 13-month deployment authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa at a joint media briefing.
The military deployment will target identified crime hotspots in Free State, Gauteng, North West, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, with additional areas to be included based on ongoing intelligence analysis and crime patterns.
“This deployment is designed to provide space for SAPS to deal effectively with street crime and to disrupt, disable and dismantle organised-crime networks,” officials stated at the briefing. “Our objective is to stabilise crime-affected areas, restore state authority, public confidence and community safety.”
Coordinated operations framework
The joint operation will be guided by procedures and protocols to ensure effective coordination between police and military forces.
All deployments will be based on real-time intelligence and crime analysis, with operations managed through Natjoints and Joint Operational Centres providing real-time oversight.
Operations will include shared planning between SAPS and SANDF with enhanced visibility in affected communities. All operations will be conducted lawfully, proportionately and within constitutional frameworks, officials said.
Final mission readiness training is currently underway, with communication procedures and base standing orders being finalised before the operation’s full expansion.
Targeting violent and organised crime
The deployment specifically targets serious crimes including illicit mining syndicates, gang-related violence, street crime and murder, extortion rackets, drug trafficking networks, illegal firearm proliferation, attacks on essential infrastructure, illegal migration networks and corruption-linked criminal enterprises.
“We are committed to dismantling organised criminal syndicates, including those involved in illicit mining and gang activities,” authorities stated. “Our goal is to restore law, order and peace, and to reclaim territory that has been controlled by criminal networks.”
Expected outcomes
The joint operation aims to achieve several objectives over its 13-month duration, including stabilisation of priority crime hotspots, disruption and dismantling of organised criminal syndicates, reduction in serious and violent crime levels, restoration of state authority in areas where criminal networks have operated with impunity, rebuilding community trust in law enforcement and creation of safer conditions for social and economic development.
The deployment follows directives from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address and subsequent parliamentary statements, signalling government’s determination to address crime levels that have undermined community safety and economic development in affected areas.
While initial deployment has commenced, the operation is expected to expand once final readiness protocols are completed. Rules of engagement and operational limitations are being finalised to ensure military personnel operate within strict legal and constitutional parameters, with civilian law enforcement maintaining primacy.
The deployment represents one of the largest joint police-military operations in recent years.
ALSO READ: SANDF deployment, taxi violence and police integrity discussed at Cabinet
