The South African government is going on the offensive. The acting Minister of Police has confirmed the imminent deployment of the armed forces (SANDF) to try to curb the surge in criminal violence. While the urgency is real, the effectiveness of this military strategy in a civilian area is widely debated.

A strategic deployment under high tension

Scheduled for the end of February, this military intervention aims to support a completely overwhelmed police force. Operations will focus on three red zones:

1. The Western Cape: Historical territory of gang warfare.
2. Gauteng (Johannesburg, Pretoria): Plagued by violence linked to illegal mining.
3. The Eastern Cape: Where cities like Port Elizabeth are experiencing an unprecedented surge in organized crime.

With a frightening average of 60 homicides per day , the South African state is attempting a power grab to regain control of neighborhoods transformed into battlegrounds for drugs or gold.

A criticized easy solution

Despite the announcement, politicians and experts are raising the alarm. Is the army really the right tool?

"Soldiers are not police officers. This deployment must remain temporary; the essential thing is to rebuild a competent police force." — Mmusi Maimane , leader of the BOSA party.

The criticisms are structured around three main points:

1. The troops' inadequacy: The military is not trained for interaction with civilians or for maintaining urban order.
2. An admission of weakness: For many, calling on the army underlines the structural failure of the national police.
3. A financial black hole: Already underfunded and undergoing restructuring (following its recent withdrawal from MONUSCO in the DRC), the South African army would not have the logistical and budgetary means for this domestic mission.

A discouraging precedent

History seems to be repeating itself. In 2019, troops were already deployed to troubled neighborhoods in Cape Town. The result? A short-lived respite, but no lasting impact on organized crime structures. For researchers like John Stupart, without a profound reform of the police force, military intervention remains merely a band-aid on a gaping wound.