Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has criticized President Cyril Ramaphosa's recently announced SANDF deployment to combat gang violence, calling it a costly repeat of the ineffective 2019 effort amid SAPS shortcomings.
Following President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address announcement of SANDF support for police against gang violence on the Cape Flats—as covered in initial reports—the Western Cape government has voiced strong reservations.
An Institute for Security Studies report on the similar 2019 deployment found no sustained impact on murder rates: a brief decline in July 2019 quickly reversed, with no greater reductions in deployed areas than elsewhere.
Premier Alan Winde questions the projected cost exceeding R800-million, arguing it masks underlying SAPS weaknesses rather than addressing them. He emphasized that SAPS retains exclusive responsibility for criminal investigations, limiting other agencies' roles.
At a recent provincial cabinet meeting, SAPS leaders offered scant details on timelines or objectives. Winde welcomed Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile's commitment to using SANDF as a force multiplier in coordinated operations.
However, he stressed the need for clear command structures—unlike in Gauteng—sustained intelligence-led policing, and involvement of all stakeholders, including community forums and private security, to avoid repeating 2019's failures.