CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa is pushing back against criticism of the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
Ramaphosa insists the move did not indicate a failure of the South African Police Service (SAPS)
Ramaphosa was answering questions in the National Assembly on Thursday.
His remark to the deployment comes just a day after soldiers began operations in crime-hit communities on Wednesday.
Areas like Eldorado Park, Sophiatown and Westbury were targeted.
READ | ‘Find the guns’ - community members cheered on as SANDF raided flats
In Westbury, residents gathered as the soldiers moved from door-to-door.
“Go door-to- door and find the guns’ one resident shouted.
In Westbury, apartment blocks were raided with couches and beds turned upside down and cupboards flung open.
In one house dagga was found. In another, a resident expressed frustration claiming he was being harassed by authorities, who continue to raid his place in hopes of finding drugs and guns.
But the deployment received mixed reactions as Ian Cameron, National Assembly Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police claimed that the deployment was not approved by Parliament.
He said at the time that he written to National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola to explain what legal authority was given before the SANDF deployment in parts of Johannesburg.
Cameron gave Masemola 24 hours to respond.
READ | Mixed reactions on SANDF's deployment
But during the question-and-answer session in Parliament, Ramaphosa addressed the deployment matter.
He said the SANDF deployment is necessary to complement efforts of the SAPS in fighting gangsterism and illicit mining while also bring stability to communities.
"The army will be deployed in support of the police, operating under police command with clear rules of engagement and for specific time-limited objectives.
"The army may, for example, be called by the police to provide protection in high-risk areas or operations, or to support cordon and search operations, roadblocks against armed criminals," he said.
At the same time Ramaphosa said soldiers may also be used to secure critical infrastructure so that they can free the police to focus on investigations.