businesstech.co.za Feb 21
Concerns over Ramaphosa using the army to tackle crime in South Africa:
President Cyril Ramaphosa is deploying the army to fight crime, but research shows that ...
businesstech.co.za/news/government/851729/concerns-over-ramaphosa-using-the-army-to-tackle-crime-in-south-africa/
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Armed Forces Deployed Against Gang CrimeRamaphosa announced troops to assist police in mid-February 2026; studies show crime reductions often reverse within a year.
Key FactsFeb 21, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: businesstech.co.za
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: businesstech.co.za
- President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his mid-February 2026 State of the Nation address that soldiers will be deployed alongside the South African Police Service to combat gangs and armed groups linked to illegal mining.
- Military assistance to policing has precedent in South Africa since the late 1990s, including operations such as Recoil (1997), Slasher (2001), Combat (2012), Thunder (2018) and Lockdown (2019), and was used in 2020 to enforce COVID-19 restrictions.
- Academic research indicates deployments can temporarily reduce violent crime—notably murder—provided large numbers of wanted suspects are arrested and significant quantities of illegal firearms are seized, but a 2023 study finds violence often rebounds within a year.
- Such deployments raise heightened risks of human rights abuses, may be politically motivated in some contexts, and the president has committed to an Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy along with tighter firearm controls.
I have studied militarised forms of policing for many years.— From a The Conversation article written by Guy Lamb (criminologist and senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University).
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