South Africa deploys troops in Johannesburg to tackle organized crime
JOHANNESBURG — Soldiers were deployed on the streets of South Africa’s largest city on Wednesday following the president’s announcement of utilizing the army in various provinces to assist law enforcement in combating gang violence and illegal mining.
The deployment in the Johannesburg suburb of Riverlea marked the first significant deployment since President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration in his annual address to the nation last month, where he pledged to use the army to combat organized crime, which he described as the primary threat to democracy and economic development in the nation.
A convoy comprising more than a dozen military vehicles was observed moving through the Riverlea suburb, with soldiers disembarking from the vehicles to enter certain apartment complexes. Riverlea is one of the areas in Johannesburg that has been impacted by both gang-related violence and illegal mining activities.
Details regarding the deployment were not immediately provided by South Africa’s police or the Department of Defense, which supervises the military.
The planned military deployment in various parts of the country was initially scheduled to commence on March 1 but was delayed to provide soldiers with training in law enforcement procedures. The army will operate under police command during this deployment.
In a notice to the Speaker of Parliament, Ramaphosa stated that an initial deployment of 550 soldiers would be involved in the Gauteng province, including Johannesburg, to combat crime and maintain law and order until the end of April.
The government plans to expand the deployment to five of the nine provinces, focusing on illegal mining in Gauteng, North West, and Free State provinces, as well as gang violence in Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces.
Certain aspects of the national deployment may extend beyond a year, according to police officials.
South Africa has high rates of violent crime, with a significant number of homicides, attempted murders, and violent assaults reported by the police. Ramaphosa highlighted gang violence and illegal mining as major concerns, linking them to organized crime.
The deployment of soldiers has been mostly well-received, although some political parties view it as an acknowledgment of the police force’s limitations in curbing crime.
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Associated Press writer Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa contributed.
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