SONA 2026: Will President Ramaphosa deploy the SANDF to tackle gang violence in the Cape Flats?

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia told the media on Thursday that they will have to wait for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Thursday night on whether the SANDF will be deployed and about the fight against gang violence in the Western Cape.

This emerged when Cachalia was asked questions following his appraisal of the SANDF and the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit members at the parade that was addressed by ministers in the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security (JCPS) Cluster in Cape Town.

“I am particularly pleased to see members of our national army here alongside members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) for reasons that will become clear in the days ahead,” he said when addressing the members of the law enforcement agencies.

“I am also particularly pleased to see members of the Anti-Gang Unit here. You have very important work to do in this province and other parts of our country, afflicted with the scourge of violent criminality,” he said in his address to the officers.

Asked what he meant when he mentioned the SANDF alongside the police and the Anti-Gang Unit, Cachalia said: “You will have to wait for the president's address.”

However, he said he was very happy to see the soldiers who protected the people and the borders.

“So I'm just expressing my appreciation for their presence,” he said.

When pressed whether the SANDF will be deployed on the Cape Flats any time soon, Cachalia again referred to Ramaphosa’s address tonight.

“You will have to wait for the president's speech this evening.”

Cachalia’s interaction with the media followed a statement by his ministry about a series of engagements with a broad range of stakeholders to discuss policing challenges in the Western Cape and strengthen measures to improve safety in communities across the province ahead of the SONA.

The ministry noted that the Western Cape continued to be severely affected by persistent gang violence and organised crime, which have destabilised communities and endangered lives.

It said the police developed a stabilisation plan, which requires more time to take effect as well as some adjustments, following extensive consultations with provincial stakeholders in September last year.

“The SAPS is finalising a revised stabilisation plan, which places strong emphasis on the enhanced deployment of specialised units — in addition to the existing Anti-Gang Unit — to areas most affected by gang-related violence. This enhanced approach aims to improve operational capability, increase police visibility, and strengthen intelligence-driven policing in hotspots across the province.”

Cachalia told the media that there was no timeframe set for his engagements with the various stakeholders in the province.

“This is a long-term and complex problem, but I want to give the people in the affected communities the assurance that I will not rest until it's clear that we are winning the fight against the gangs.”

He also said the JCPS Cluster was working together to understand how it can be more effective in the fight against organised crime.

Cachalia dismissed a suggestion that there was still no concrete plan in place to fight gang violence and organised crime in the Western Cape.

“It's not true, there is a plan in place. There is a strategy in place to be constantly revised, looking at how we can be more effective,” he said.

“I think we should wait for the President's address, I'm quite sure that the President will be addressing this issue before the general public,  but particularly in the public of the Western Cape, receiving it.”

Cachalia added that in the weeks ahead we will be announcing further steps because they constantly have to refine and redesign the work that they were doing in strengthening the capabilities of the law enforcement agencies and make the criminal justice cluster work effectively.

“So there's a lot of work to be done. We are doing that work. We are focused on doing that work, and as I have indicated, we will not rest until our streets are safe and our communities can feel that we are getting results.”

Defence Minister Angie Motshekga indicated that the willingness of her department to direct its resources to support the country’s internal problems such as gang violence as it slows down on external missions.

“We would really love to be partners with that, but we have to do through the permission. So we are just one department that gets directed,” she said.

“We'd also love to participate in terms of the law as to where we come in supporting policing, but the main thing is around the budget, which is forcing us to really look at some of the things that we do to be able to redirect resources to local needs,” said Motshekga.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za