Police Minister says no need for army yet to quell xenophobic attacks
Police Minister Nathi Nhleko has assured South Africans that the police are up to the task of dealing with the latest xenophobic attacks which have gripped the nation. Consequently‚ there is no need to call on the South African National Defence Force to restore order.Said Nhleko: “We have noted the various calls by our people for the defence force to be deployed in the hotspots. However‚ our assessment is that the South African Police Service can adequately deal with these unfortunate circumstances.“We continue to assess the situation. Should it escalate beyond the capability of the SAPS‚ the president may take a decision to deploy the army in reinforcing the work of the police.”The minister added that ordinarily‚ soldiers are not trained to deal with civilian policing issues like we are facing. He said the police‚ especially the Public Order Police and other units‚ have sufficient expertise to deal with the current situation...
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