The South African National Defence Union (Sandu) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the deployment of the army to areas in which the construction mafia and illegal miners are operating.
In a statement released on Monday, Sandu said that the deployment of the army was “long overdue” and that it would help to “restore law and order” in these areas.
Sandu’s statement comes after Ramaphosa confirmed last Thursday that he had sent a letter to the National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and National Council of Provinces chairperson, Amos Masondo, stating that he was deploying more than 800 soldiers to fight crime in the country.
Ramaphosa said that the army would be deployed to areas in which the police were unable to cope with crime levels. He also said that the deployment would be temporary and that the army would be withdrawn once the police had restored law and order in these areas.
‘Construction mafia’ costs SA billions: Kganki Matabane
Illegal mining
Sandu says that the army is better suited to fight the challenges of illegal mining and construction mafia in the country. Sandu Secretary-General, Pikkie Greeff says that soldiers are better equipped and trained to deal with these heavily armed and unscrupulous criminals.
“The most important thing here is the difference between soldiers being involved in assisting the police in combating crime in the normal sense of the word and the specific scenario is that we all know that these Zama Zamas are apparently heavily armed and are very unscrupulous and they don’t mind getting involved in gun fights and so I think probably soldiers are best qualified to go and handle that situation,” Greeff says.
Greeff also said that the army is better suited to occupy and hold the fort in certain areas, which is what is needed to deal with the illegal mining and construction mafia.
“What really we are talking about is an occupation of certain areas, it’s like invading a certain area and simply holding the fort there, and that is what will be needed, and of course that is what you need the military for,” Greeff adds.
Sandu’s comments come as the country continues to grapple with the problem of illegal mining and construction mafia.
In recent months, there have been a number of violent incidents involving Zama Zamas, illegal miners who often work in dangerous conditions and are often armed.
Army deployment to help the police in fighting the Construction Mafia And Zama Zamas
Construction mafia
The construction mafia has also been accused of stalling projects across the country, extorting money from contractors, and intimidating workers.
The government has deployed the army to assist the police in combating crime in some areas, but Sandu says that the army needs to be more involved in dealing with the illegal mining and construction mafia.
“We need to make sure that the army is properly equipped and trained to deal with this specific threat,” Greeff said. “We also need to make sure that the army is given the necessary logistical support to carry out its mission effectively.”
Illegal Mining | Tackling zama zamas, safety and security developments in JHB
