South Africa's crime crisis has reached levels comparable to active conflict zones, with more than 26,000 people killed in a single year, prompting parliament's security group to back the deployment of the army while warning it is not a long-term solution.
Dakota Legoete, chair of the Defense and Military Veterans Portfolio Committee, gave a harsh assessment during a Peace and Security Cluster media briefing, describing the scale of the violence as a direct threat to the country's sovereignty.
“We are at a point where more than 26,000 South Africans a year have died at the hands of criminal elements,” Legoete said.
“These numbers are comparable to conflict zones like Gaza, Ukraine, yet in our country, we normalize it.”
He argued that the scale of the killings had effectively put South Africa into a “war-like” situation, even though it is not formally at war, and said that the burden could no longer be borne by the police alone.
“That is why we support the President’s initiative to deploy the SANDF to collaborate with the SAPS in fighting crime,” he said, stressing that criminals are increasingly well armed and organised.
But MPs cautioned that the deployment of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) is, at best, a short-term stabilization measure.
Chairman of the Portfolio Committee on PoliceIan Cameron warned that the intervention risked masking deeper systemic failings.
Cameron said, “While such a deployment could provide the necessary force multiplier, troop deployment is not a long-term solution.”
“There is a real risk that this becomes a temporary measure, a plaster on a wound that requires surgery.”
Cameron linked the death toll to lived realities in communities, citing ongoing violence in areas such as the Cape Flats, where extortion, gang activity and shootings are taking lives.
“These are not just statistics. These are lives lost, families devastated and communities traumatized,” he said.
Chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Pirone Phala, said Parliament had stepped up monitoring of the SANDF deployment to ensure it was properly coordinated and legally compliant.
“The deployment of the SANDF acts as a significant force multiplier,” Fala said, adding that MPs had raised concerns about the initial “lack of clarity and alignment” between the military and police, including command structures and operational readiness.
While those issues have begun to improve, Falla stressed that long-term solutions must go beyond security interventions.
“It is equally important that clear exit strategies are developed and that the long-term response to crime also includes strong socio-economic interventions,” he said.
Legoet further warned that criminal networks persist due to failures in regulation and enforcement, including the transfer of firearms from licensed security companies to illegal activities.
“This leads to a situation in which ordinary citizens are forced to pay security fees as well as taxes to fund the institutions meant to protect them. This cannot continue,” he said.
There was consensus across all three committees that the country's high murder rate reflects deep structural problems, ranging from weak intelligence coordination and weakened borders to limited prosecution of high-level criminals.
“Defense and security are not optional,” Legoete said. “No defense and security means no safety for citizens.”
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