Ramaphosa considers SANDF deployment to combat gang violence

President Cyril Ramaphosa is considering deploying the SANDF to  support to the SAPS in combating gang violence, but while some civil organisations have welcomed it others have a different view.

In the last fortnight, 84 people were murdered and just last week, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness reported that between December 15, 2025, and January 14, Emergency Centres across the province treated more than 130,000 patients, while Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to over 47,000 incidents, with 423 gunshot wounds.

The province is believed to be home to an estimated 130 gangs with over 100,000 members, with splinter gangs forming regularly.

The past two years saw “the big names” in the underworld making headlines after Mark Lifman and Andre Naude were gunned down, while the alleged leader of the 28s prison gang, Ralph Stanfield, and his wife, Nicole Johnson, remain behind bars for court cases against them, including that of apparent underworld figure Nafiz Modack and others.

The murders of gang boss Peter Jaggers and his associate William Petersen, who were kidnapped and killed during a cocaine deal with the Colombian cartel worth R1 billion, have also made headlines.

Earlier this week, during a televised news interview, the president said he was considering the deployment with the advisory that soldiers were not skilled for crime intelligence and would shoot to kill: “Calls have been made that we must deploy the army, and the army, as it engages in any situation, are not police people; they do not investigate. When they see someone that is doing wrong, they see it as the enemy and they shoot to kill.

“So we have to balance all the deployments of these forces, and fortunately, we have a multi-disciplinary type of mixed forces. The army can come in to support the police, and the police also have to be armed with good intelligence. Criminal intelligence and crime intelligence have to be on site to know who the wrongdoers are, and then the other forces come in their wake to give support, so that gang violence is one of those challenges that we are facing.”

In response, the civil organisation Fight Against Crime SA, which does a daily account of murders and shootings across the Cape Flats, said the time was right for the deployment.

In 2019, after 73 were murdered in one weekend, the SANDF was deployed.

“FACSA notes reports that Cyril Ramaphosa is considering the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to gang violence hotspots,” said the group.

“This is the right move, and it must be stated clearly that FACSA has consistently advocated for and spearheaded the call for SANDF deployment long before this became part of mainstream discussion. This position was taken based on what communities were experiencing daily on the ground and the visible strain on policing resources.

“For this deployment to succeed, it must be a joint operation with SAPS, with the SANDF playing a support and stabilisation role. Area securing and force presence must enable effective policing, not replace it. The SAPS Anti-Gang Unit remains the spearhead in the fight against organised gangsterism and must be properly supported, protected, and resourced.

“This cannot be symbolic or short-term. It must be coordinated, sustained, and decisive. Communities have already paid the price of delay."

For Cloetesville community leader, Felicity Roland gang violence has become a familiar scene and just last week she stared down the barrel of a firearm while protecting school children from potential gunfire.

"When there is a shooting here, other units come in for support and the big problem that I have is that they (army) and the police often do not have respect for our people, we already have a huge problem with the gangs attacking and robbing people," she said.

"The gangsters that are doing the harm and crime is not attacked or arrested, but the honest person.

MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, has a different view:

“The deployment of the SANDF to perform policing functions within communities is not an ideal solution. The SANDF is neither trained nor equipped for routine policing duties, and such deployments carry inherent operational risks," she said.

The SANDF has acknowledged the query made by the Cape Argus regarding the consideration of their deployment.

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Cape Argus