In brief
South Africa's army has been deployed to combat escalating gang violence and crime rates in the nation. The operation will see 2,200 soldiers assist police forces across five provinces for a year. Critics question the effectiveness of military involvement in policing, given its past use by the apartheid regime.
South Africa's army has officially been deployed to several parts of the country to help overwhelmed police clamp down on violent crimes, including illicit mining and gangs. President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year announced the deployment of 2,200 soldiers to five of the country's nine provinces hardest hit by criminal activities.Authorities say the deployment, set to run for a year, is aimed at restoring order to crime-ridden areas, but critics warn that using the military in civilian policing rarely delivers lasting results. Illicit mining and gang violence are major problems in South Africa, which has one of the world's highest murder rates. According to the latest crime statistics, covering the period between October and December 2025, around 71 people were killed each day.An initial group of soldiers was deployed to several parts of Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, in March. The second, and main cohort, will help with operations in the Eastern Cape, Free State, North West, and Western Cape provinces from April 1 for a year. The BBC spoke to several residents in a Johannesburg suburb, Eldorado Park, a few weeks after soldiers arrived in the area. It is one of the three Johannesburg suburbs targeted in the initial military deployment due to the high levels of gang violence there.Some residents expressed skepticism about the soldiers' presence in their neighbourhoods. Leola Davies, a 74-year-old pensioner, described Eldorado Park as a 'hell-hole to live in', while another resident, Elviena le Roux, a mother of three, voiced doubts that military presence would help, fearing it might 'make the violence worse'. Security experts have also raised concerns, emphasizing that soldiers are trained for combat – not for the community-based policing necessary to build trust. Given the historical context of military use during apartheid, there is hesitance among residents regarding the army's effectiveness in ensuring long-term safety and order.
