Police Minister Bheki Cele’s Spokesperson Reneilwe Serero says the deployment of the army to the Cape Flats is by no means an admission that the police have failed to do their job.
SANDF troops from around the country have started to arrived in Cape Town ahead of their deployment to the Cape Flats in support of a major police operation against gansterism.
Police Minister announced on Thursday that the President had authorised the deployment of the SANDF to the areas worst affected by crime in the province.
Cele says the spate of mass killings in areas on the Cape Flats last weekend have prompted the deployment of the SANDF and the SAPS to the area.
Serero says, “There is already a large contingency of police that have already been deployed. They started walking the streets, doing searches, making arrests as well. So, they are here to make sure we maintain law and order in this part of the Western Cape and in any other volatile areas. Not only will they be focusing on Phillipi East, but they’re focusing on a broader Western Cape where we have noticed a high rate of crime and murders.”
SANDF troops from around the country have started to arrived in Cape Town ahead of their deployment to the Cape Flats in support of a major police operation against gansterism.
SANDF spokesperson, Siphiwe Dlamini says the army will be deployed from this month to October this year, pending the re-assessment of the situation.
Crime fighting plan
The Western Cape Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz says the Police Minister Bheki Cele will meet with provincial officials on Saturday in Paarl to discuss a broader crime fighting plan.
The SANDF says its operation to assist the police in fighting crime on the Cape Flats will be known as Operation Prosper.
Fritz says he’s relieved that the Western Cape is finally getting national attention in as far as fighting crime is concerned.
“I wanted just to call on my community to be patient. Let the South African Defence Force, prepare properly before they come here and they are busy settling in. Just be patient, but I must say there’s a lot of visible policing on the Cape Flats and I’m very, very happy about that.”
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