JOHANNESBURG - Despite Westbury residents calling on the army to be deployed to their community, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said the deployment will be delayed to allow the army to get trained on how to engage with civilians.
This after five people were attacked, resulting in two people being killed and several others, including a 15-month-old baby, being injured.
University of the Free State criminologist Ashwill Phillips said training is crucial.
“The South African National Defence Force is not really equipped or mandated for long term domestic peace keeping or even criminal investigations,” he said.
Phillips said gang violence predates South Africa’s democracy and that the root cause needs to be identified.
“We are definitely going to need to work towards finding proactive solutions looking at the root causes of gang and organised criminal activity. And unfortunately, that is going to have to become a priority.
"We need to look at things like youth unemployment, absent fathers, alcohol and substance abuse, the availability of firearms in our community and the culture of violence generally. Those are bigger issues that need to be addressed and issues a longer-term solution.”
During his State of the Nation address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the army, targeting gang hotspots in the Western Cape and illegal mining activities in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and Free State.