Parliament’s police committee chairperson Ian Cameron has expressed concern about what he believes are mounting tensions between the military and the police who are deployed to fight crime across the country.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Cameron cited concerns about the mandate differences and training as an Achilles heel facing the operation.
“I was informed this morning of tensions already emerging between soldiers and police, including issues around seized equipment from illegal mining operations and discrepancies in reporting. This raises serious questions about the command-and-control structures in these operations.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently authorised the deployment of 2,200 soldiers to assist the police in the fight against crime in five provinces. The deployment is expected to cost about R823.15m.
The soldiers are expected to assist the police in preventing and combating illegal mining and gangsterism in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, North West and Western Cape.
Despite the deployment of the SANDF being a necessary force multiplier whose visible presence will help quell violence, Cameron warned that military deployment is not a long-term solution.
“There is a real risk that it becomes a temporary measure, a plaster on a wound that requires surgery. We must be honest about that,” he said.
Cameron claimed the deployment also raises questions about earlier assurances that the police have the capacity to deal with gang violence in the Western Cape, saying it has proved to be insufficient.
The pre-deployment phase appeared poorly coordinated. While there have been valuable contributions from various stakeholders on how such a force multiplier could work effectively, what we have seen in some operations does not reflect the level of precision required.
— Ian Cameron, parliament’s police committee chair
“When engaging with operational members on the ground across various units, there is still little clarity on how cooperation between police and military will function in practice, though I have been informed that joint training may begin soon.”
Cameron said solutions ought to be tabled, starting with the concerning manner in which he claims aspects of the deployment have unfolded.
“The pre-deployment phase appeared poorly coordinated. While there have been valuable contributions from various stakeholders on how such a force multiplier could work effectively, what we have seen in some operations does not reflect the level of precision required.”
He said, if each entity operated within its mandate and coordination is properly structured, combining specialised SAPS units, jointly trained soldiers, intelligence-driven operations and prosecution-led strategies, then it would be possible to disrupt criminal networks, remove illegal firearms and drugs and target key figures in organised crime.
However, he said, this would require disciplined coordination, which is currently lacking.
While he conceded that Ramaphosa is empowered by the constitution to deploy the SANDF in support of the police, Cameron urged that this move be accompanied by transparency and accountability to parliament.
“Parliament has made meaningful contributions on how such deployments should be implemented, yet many of these inputs appear not to have been adequately considered.”
Of concern to Cameron was the timeline, citing that the deployment was announced as early as February 12, yet parliament was only formally informed on March 13, a month later.
“This delay created an oversight gap and undermines constitutional accountability. It also reflects a lack of coordination within the security cluster. Operational coordination remains a serious concern. There are instances where soldiers conducting operations have had to wait extended periods for police support.
“This is not acceptable in what are meant to be joint operations,” he said.
Cameron warned that though they have received formal correspondence, parliamentarians have been left with key questions that remain unanswered.
“These include the operational framework guiding the deployment, command and control structures, accountability mechanisms, measures of success and the status of joint training. These are not minor administrative details. They go to the core of how force is exercised in a democratic society. We cannot allow for poorly coordinated deployments of this nature.”
Meanwhile, chairperson of the defence portfolio committee, Dakota Legoete, echoed Cameron’s sentiments on the country’s crime challenges, adding that he supports the deployment of the SANDF to clamp down on lawlessness.
Legoete problematised how the country’s crime statistics for civilians who die at the hands of criminals is skyrocketing and called for such a response.
“When 26,000 people die at the hands of criminals, that is comparable to a war situation. Yet we are not officially at war. Now, it is not something that the police alone can manage. The SANDF needs to come in, because some of these criminals use high-calibre weapons, automatic rifles and access to sophisticated arms,” said Legoete.
He said the crime statistic levels presented a situation where urgent action needs to be taken to address crime.
“These numbers are comparable to those in conflict zones such as Gaza, Ukraine, and other parts of the world. But in our country, we normalise it. We are not victim-centric. The focus is on the rights of perpetrators, the criminal element and we forget that over 26,000 people have ceased to exist and to live. That is a serious matter of concern.”
Legoete joined the call for accountability, saying the process of deployment ought to be transparent to ensure its efficiency.
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