While criminal activity still plagues the nation, it appears the ANC national executive committee has run out of options for tackling it head-on and will soon be expecting the government to delegate that duty to the South African National Defence Force.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has this morning confirmed that the NEC, which took place over the weekend has resolved that in order to deal with the rampant crime that is unfolding in the country, similar strategies such as the ones employed during the crackdown against the EFF’s national shutdown, should be put in place, as it has become evident that the police on their own are losing the fight against crime.
“The NEC has encouraged that the same approach that was used against the shutdown must be rolled out against the crime in South Africa. If it means soldiers must be employed, that should happen. If it means Amaberete to strengthen the fight tactical battle on the ground from the Police side. In terms of the violent crimes, the police must do that,” Mbalula told reporters.
[WATCH] “If it means soldiers must be employed, that should happen.” – ANC Secretary General @MbalulaFikile says the NEC has called for army deployment in the fight against crime in South Africa.#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/CrTeppxR0Y
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 25, 2023
He went further to justify the unpopular decision of calling for the deployment of the army, by saying it was not an strange situation for the soldiers to be deployed, as it does happen when the police seem to be incapacitated.
“Soldiers get deployed from time to time to support the police in the fight against crime, through an operation called ‘Operation Viela’, to get guns from thugs in the township,” he added.
South Africans strongly disagreed with Mbalula’s statement on Twitter, as they believe that the military cannot police because they resort to violence as was seen during the Covid-19 shutdown.
Some said that the ANC may have to deploy the Army as a ruse to hold onto power after realizing they might lose it in the general elections of 2024.
In one’s opinion, even if the military might be a viable alternative to combat crime, it is instead a damning reflection of the police’s egregious shortcomings.
It has been demonstrated that corruption and a lack of political will are more to blame for the police’s inability to combat crime than a lack of capacity.
Do you think it is a good idea to deploy the military to combat crime, or our state has failed to execute its fiduciary duties?
