South African President Ramaphosa Announces Deployment of Military to Combat Gang Violence and Organized Crime

Cape Town. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the military will be deployed to control rising gang violence and organized crime in the country.

While addressing the annual 'State of the Nation', he stated that he has instructed the army and police chiefs to prepare a plan to deploy security forces in coordination with the police in the Western Cape and Gauteng regions within the next few days.

According to President Ramaphosa, organized crime has now become the biggest challenge to South Africa's democracy, society, and economic development. He mentioned that due to violent gang conflicts in the Western Cape, even children are getting caught in the crossfire.

Similarly, he noted that illegal mining activities in the Gauteng region have created a situation where local residents are being forced to leave their homes. South Africa is considered one of the countries with the highest homicide rates in the world. Statistics show that approximately 60 people are murdered daily here.

The main problems have become the conflict between drug gangs in Cape Town and mass shootings related to illegal mining around Johannesburg. To control crime, the government has also put forward a plan to recruit 5,500 new police officers, increase intelligence capabilities, and identify priority criminal networks.

Stating that the impact of crime is severely affecting public life, sense of security, and investment environment, President Ramaphosa emphasized that strict measures are necessary.