President Cyril Ramaphosa says that the deployment of the South African National Defence Force has made headway in tackling crime. He says early signs point to progress, although it is still too soon to draw firm conclusions about the overall impact.
He was responding to a question from DA parliamentary leader George Michalakis.
The president says that more than 1,000 arrests have been recorded since the operation began. Of these, over 550 were made in the Western Cape. Authorities have also seized eighteen firearms during the deployment.
Over seven hundred rounds of ammunition and explosives have been recovered.
Despite these figures, the situation on the ground points to an uptick in gun related deaths on the Cape Flats since the army’s deployment.
Since the deployment of the army to gang-ridden areas of Cape Town, particularly across the Cape Flats, gang-affiliated shootings and murders have remained a major concern despite intensified security operations. Communities such as Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu, Delft and Khayelitsha continue to experience deadly turf wars, extortion-related killings and stray-bullet incidents affecting innocent residents, including children.
Although the army deployment has increased visibility and police support in hotspot areas, critics and community leaders argue that shootings have continued almost unabated, with dozens of murders reported even after troops were stationed in the province.
Activists have warned that military intervention alone cannot dismantle entrenched gang networks fuelled by poverty, unemployment, drug trafficking and illegal firearms, calling instead for long-term social and intelligence-driven solutions to address the cycle of violence gripping Cape Town’s communities.
