Edited by Bev Mortimer: The town of Humansdorp in the Kouga Municipality region of the Eastern Cape of South Africa, which has experienced a huge increase in crime and gangsterism over the past couple of years, is now one of five of the highest crime and gangsters areas in South Africa.
The South African Presidency said yesterday, 13 March, that members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have started to assist the South African Police Service to prevent and combat illegal mining and gangsterism in the Eastern Cape (Humansdorp town), Free State, Gauteng, North West and Western Cape according to the SANDF deployment is for the period 1 March 2026 until 31 March 2027.
President Cyril Ramaphosa informed the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces of his decision to deploy 2 200 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for service in cooperation with the South African Police Service (SAPS).
This deployment forms part of a coordinated Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster intervention aimed at stabilising affected communities and disrupting criminal syndicates operating in key hotspot areas.
The legal basis for this deployment is derived from Section 201(2)(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which authorises the President to employ the South African National Defence Force in cooperation with the South African Police Service to prevent and combat crime in order to maintain law and order within the Republic.
Section 201(2) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, directs that “Only the President, as head of the national executive, may authorise the employment of the defence force in co-operation with the police service”.
The Presidency said expenditure for this employment is estimated at R823 153 960.
During the State of the Nation Address 2026, President Ramaphosa announced the intention to deploy the South Africa National Defence to areas afflicted by illegal mining and gang violence.
President Ramaphosa has called on communities to welcome and work more closely with the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force to identify and alienate criminal elements and make neighbourhoods safer in the process.
The operational framework for this deployment is further detailed in Section 19(3)(c)(ii) of the Defence Act (Act 42 of 2002). This Act regulates the employment of the South African National Defence Force for internal operations and clarifies the principles governing command and control arrangements between the SANDF and the SAPS while operating in a coordinated and integrated manner under the direction of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS).
St Francis Chronicle 