Here’s how long the SANDF could be deployed to crime hotspots

The window for the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is open and will not close until next year. Officials from the South African Police Service (Saps) on Wednesday provided a joint parliamentary committee with a plan to crack down on organised crime, gangsterism and illegal mining across the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced thedeployment of the SANDF to crime hotspotsin Gauteng, North West and the Western Cape, with the Eastern Cape later added to the list.

Saps ran the committee through the operational hierarchy and objectives of the deployment, which has been given a mandate to run from 1 March 2026 to 31 March 2027. Major General Mark Hankel stated that the SANDF’s deployment was covered under section 201(2)(a) of the constitution and section 19(3)(c)(ii) of the Defence Act. The primary objectives will be crime reduction, the arrest of offenders, and the recovery of firearms, explosives, narcotics and the “tools of trade”.

Ground forces will be commanded by a mission area joint operational centre and a tactical joint operational centre, which will be overseen nationally by the joint operational and intelligence structures. Pre-deployment training will include joint exercises in which SANDF personnel will be trained on police force protocols and escalation procedures. “Strategic guidelines have been developed in relation to rules of engagement and compliance to basic human rights and operational conduct of the deployed combined forces,” stated Hankel.

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The statutory guidelines will cover strategic directions to commanders, clarification of roles and the proportionate compliance with the deployment’s constitutionality. “Cognisance should be taken that although these guidelines may be construed as orders, a value judgement, based on appropriate training, is required in its application.” Local teams will report weekly and quarterly to the national commanders, who will relay detailed reports to the government.

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