THOHOYANDOU - President Cyril Ramaphosa says the deployment of soldiers to the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng is aimed at protecting children in communities where gang activity is on the rise.
Teenagers are increasingly being recruited into gangs and drawn into violent crime.
Ramaphosa was speaking during Armed Forces Day celebrations in Thohoyandou, Limpopo.
"From the Cape Flats to Gauteng, our message is clear, the rule of law will be enforced and the safety of our citizens will be ensured. Even in the Eastern Cape, in the northern areas, we will make sure that we root out the gangs. We will make sure that we root out those who have sought to capture our police and weaken it. This deployment is a shield for the vulnerable, so that a child in Nyanga, in Eldorado Park, or New Brighton, or in the northern areas in Port Elizabeth, can walk to school without the shadow of a bullet."
This comes as South Africa withdraws the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a renewed push for the SANDF to realign its resources.