Ramaphosa mulls increasing SANDF presence in provinces hit by looting, unrest

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa says he is considering a request by opposition parties to increase the number of soldiers that have been deployed on the ground.

This follows criticism by opposition parties that the deployment of 2,500 soldiers to curb violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng was insufficient.

Ramaphosa met most of the opposition party leaders on Wednesday to discuss the violence and looting.

“President Ramaphosa welcomed proposals made by political leaders and said expanded deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was being addressed,” said the Presidency in a statement.

“The president noted the initiative taken by leaders of political parties to visit affected communities and said the presence of political leadership in communities, at a time like this, was welcome and necessary. Party leaders submitted that while political differences existed, the situation in the country demanded that South Africans come together to save lives and protect democracy,” it added.

“Leaders said critical assessments would be needed in future to assess how the government and the country performed during this difficulty.”