President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of 2,200 soldiers to five of the country's nine provinces hardest hit by criminal activities. In his annual speech to the nation, Ramaphosa said organized crime was the greatest threat to South Africa’s democracy and economic development. The deployment is set to run for a year, with the army assisting police to combat violent crimes, including illicit mining and gangs.
The government plans a wider deployment in five of its nine provinces, according to details submitted by police to Parliament. The second, and main cohort, will help with operations in the Eastern Cape, Free State, North West and Western Cape provinces from 1 April for a year. This deployment aims to address the severe crime challenges in these regions, which have been identified as priority areas.
An initial group of soldiers was deployed to several parts of Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, in March. Soldiers were deployed on the streets of South Africa’s biggest city on Wednesday after the president announced plans last month to use the army to help police fight gang violence and illegal mining. Ramaphosa said in a notice to the Speaker of Parliament that 550 soldiers would be involved in an initial deployment in the Gauteng province to help combat crime and preserve law and order.
Conflicting information has emerged about the duration of the initial deployment in Gauteng province. While the overall deployment is set to run for a year, the initial deployment in Gauteng would last until the end of April. Police officials have indicated that parts of the national deployment could last more than a year, suggesting potential extensions beyond the initial timeline.
The deployment will focus on illegal mining in the Gauteng, North West and Free State provinces, and gang violence in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. Eldorado Park is one of the three Johannesburg suburbs targeted in the initial military deployment due to the high levels of gang violence there. This targeted approach aims to address specific crime hotspots identified by authorities.
South Africa has high rates of violent crime. Police reported 6,351 homicides from October to December 2025, an average of nearly 70 a day in a country of around 62 million people. Illicit mining and gang violence are major problems in South Africa, which has one of the world's highest murder rates. These statistics underscore the urgency of the government's response to the crime crisis.
This is not the first time Ramaphosa has deployed troops to help bring down the country's high crime levels. In 2023, over 3,000 soldiers were roped in to help tackle illicit mining across the country for six months. In July 2021, the army was also deployed to help quell the deadly riots that had hit the country after the arrest of former South African President Jacob Zuma. These past deployments highlight a pattern of using military forces to address domestic security challenges.
Security experts have repeatedly warned that the military is trained for combat - not for the kind of community-based policing needed to build trust. This concern raises questions about the effectiveness and appropriateness of using soldiers in roles typically handled by police.
The racist apartheid regime used the military to enforce their rule - a legacy that still shapes how some South Africans view soldiers on their streets today. This historical context adds complexity to public perceptions of the current deployment.
The exact number of soldiers currently deployed in each province and their specific operational roles remains unclear, as does the detailed plan for how the military will coordinate with police to address illicit mining and gang violence.
The criteria used to select the targeted suburbs and provinces for military deployment have not been fully disclosed, nor have the metrics or benchmarks that will be used to evaluate the success or failure of the deployment.
The cost of the military deployment and its funding source represents another significant unknown, with potential implications for government budgeting and resource allocation across other public services.