CAPE TOWN - The Cape Crime Crisis Coalition has rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plan to redeploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to gang-infested areas in Gauteng and the Western Cape.
Instead, the group is calling for a provincial state of disaster to address gang violence and organised crime over the long term.
The coalition notes that a 2019 SANDF deployment had little lasting impact in areas like Mitchells Plain.
The coalition's Llewellyn MacMaster said the military presence produced only temporary reductions in murders and could not be sustained.
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“It [the deployment] showed that maybe in the first month, there was a reduction in the murders, but we found no evidence that the Army presence significantly reduced murders,” said MacMaster.
He said that from their research, the deployment was not a success.
“This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We are calling for the declaration of a state of disaster as a solution.
"This will say, this is not just a security or military problem. This is a challenge that is deep-rooted, especially in the socioeconomic conditions that feed gangsterism and organised crime.”
MacMaster said a state of disaster in hotspots will unleash state resources.