President Cyril Ramaphosa delivering the State of the Nation Address on Thursday evening,where he announced that soldiers would be deployed to Gauteng and the Western Cape to help fight crime.
Supplied/GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the army will be deployed in the Cape Flats. Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga earlier hinted that Ramaphosa could announce an army deployment to Cape Town during the State of the Nation Address. Gang violence continues to surge in parts of the city,with community groups calling for military support to assist overstretched police.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to help fight gangsterism.
Ramaphosa made the announcement on Thursday evening during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) to loud cheers.
“In strengthening the fight against gang violence,I will be deploying [the] SANDF to support the police,” he said.
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Ramaphosa said he had directed the Minister of Police,Firoz Cachalia,and the SANDF to develop a technical plan to determine where they should be deployed in the Western Cape and Gauteng to address gang violence and illegal mining. He said he would inform Parliament as required.
Ramaphosa said he would outline the work the soldiers must do to build stronger communities and a stronger nation,to create a South Africa that is more prosperous and more equal. He said the country must be safer.
Ramaphosa said:
Children here in the Western Cape are caught in the crossfire of gang wars.
On Thursday,at the parade ahead of SONA,Cachalia and Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga hinted that Ramaphosa would announce either a military deployment to Cape Town or a new crime-fighting strategy during his address.
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Ramaphosa said:
To strengthen our fight against gang violence,I am deploying the South African National Defence Force to support the police,as we did to great effect with illegal mining.
“I have directed the Minister of Police and the SANDF to develop a tactical plan on where our security forces should be deployed within the next few days in the Western Cape and Gauteng to deal with gang violence and illegal mining.
“Children here in the Western Cape are caught in the crossfire of gang wars. People are chased out of their homes by illegal miners in Kagiso in Gauteng.
“Women are murdered by their partners in their homes. Building sites are shut down by criminals.
“This must and will change,” said Ramaphosa.
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He added that organised crime was now the most immediate threat to South Africa’s democracy,society and economic development.
“Our primary focus this year is on stepping up the fight against organised crime and criminal syndicates,using technology,intelligence,and integrated law enforcement.
“We will tackle organised crime by consolidating intelligence at national level,identifying priority syndicates and deploying hand-picked,multidisciplinary intervention teams focused on dismantling criminal networks,” he said.
Our primary focus this year is on stepping up the fight against organised crime and criminal syndicates,intelligence and integrated law enforcement.#SONA2026https://t.co/YGByKBYyIJ
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) February 12,2026
Gang violence continues to grip parts of Cape Town,with January recording a sharp rise in shootings. Community organisations have repeatedly called for the army to be deployed to support overstretched police in gang-affected areas.
Speaking ahead of the SONA,Cachalia – who had previously downplayed the possibility of deploying the army in the Cape Flats – was more guarded.
He has recently held a series of engagements with stakeholders in the Western Cape to address policing challenges and strengthen safety interventions.
Cachalia said he would meet Premier Alan Winde for further discussions,stressing that crime cannot be solved by policing alone.
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GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron cautioned that increasing police or military presence alone would not resolve Cape Town’s crime crisis.
He said:
High-crime areas are closely linked to our spatial history and the ghetto-like conditions in which many people live. We have to address the socioeconomic realities in those communities.
Herron added that previous army deployments in the Cape Flats had led mainly to the temporary displacement of crime,rather than a lasting reduction.
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