South Africa Deploys Troops to Tackle Organised Crime in High-Risk Regions

President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support police operations against escalating gang violence and organised crime in parts of the country.

The directive was announced on Thursday during the State of the Nation Address delivered before a joint sitting of Parliament at Cape Town City Hall.

Ramaphosa said the military would assist the South African Police Service in stabilising high-risk areas, dismantling criminal syndicates, and restoring public safety.

The president described organised crime as “the most immediate threat to the nation’s democracy, society and economic development,” identifying the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces as key hotspots.

“We cannot fight organised criminals by treading softly. We must act with zero tolerance and bring the full force of the law to bear,” he said.

The intervention comes amid persistent gang violence in the Western Cape, where communities have long been caught between rival groups involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and contract killings.

In Gauteng, illegal mining syndicates — commonly known as zama zamas — have entrenched themselves in abandoned mine shafts, fuelling turf wars, environmental damage, and violent clashes with law-enforcement authorities.

The deployment forms part of a broader national strategy aimed at consolidating intelligence, targeting priority criminal networks, and strengthening coordination among security agencies.

Ramaphosa also announced a new criminal-justice reform initiative within the Presidency designed to accelerate systemic reforms, alongside planned whistle-blower protections and procurement changes intended to close corruption loopholes.