(Photo: ILARIA FINIZIO / AFP)
Soldiers were deployed to gang violence hotspots in Johannesburg on Wednesday to help the police in their effort to combat the increasing crime – a problem that pres. Cyril Ramaphosa as one of South Africa’s biggest threats.
Numerous vehicles with armed soldiers entered the suburbs just west of Johannesburg to kick off a deployment that pres. Ramaphosa announced a month ago.
Armed soldiers, assisted by the police, carried out house-to-house searches. They lifted mattresses and opened cupboards, while inquiring about drugs and weapons, an AFP photographer reported.
The areas – including Riverlea and Westbury – are plagued by frequent gang-related shootings and murders.
Although some residents welcomed the presence of soldiers, a man who identified himself only as Ali was skeptical.
“Nothing is going to change,” he told AFP. “They will be here for a few days and then everything will return to normal.”
“Is this the real thing?” shouted an elderly man to a passing military convoy in Riverlea. According to him, a woman was murdered earlier this week in a nearby block of flats.
(Photo: ILARIA FINIZIO / AFP)
South Africa’s high crime rate includes an average of 60 murders per day, a large number of which are related to gang violence in the drug trade and illegal mining.
“Organized crime is now the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development,” Ramaphosa said during his state of the nation address last month.
According to a plan presented to parliament, the military deployment will last for a year and cover five of the country’s nine provinces. The Western Cape is included in this.
However, the move has drawn criticism from experts and opposition politicians who believe soldiers do not have the necessary police work skills.