President Cyril Ramaphosa is considering deploying the army to gang violence hotspots in South Africa, but warns that soldiers are trained to shoot to kill, so caution is needed. This comes after multiple incidents where alleged gang members killed innocent residents, particularly in the Western Cape. Ramaphosa emphasized that soldiers and police must work together, with police providing intelligence to identify wrongdoers and the army supporting them ¹ ².
The move is aimed at curbing escalating gang violence, with 26 people killed on the Cape Flats in Western Cape just last weekend. The government has already rolled out an anti-gang strategy, including intelligence gathering, community engagement, and collaboration with stakeholders. However, some experts warn that militarizing the fight against crime isn’t the solution, and underlying causes like poverty and unemployment need to be addressed
