SANDF deployment to back police set to start on 31 March

The joint task force comprising the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle crime will not see soldiers performing ordinary policing functions, national commissionerFannie Masemolatold parliament on Wednesday. The combined deployment is scheduled to commence on 31 March 2026 and run for 12 months, until 31 March 2027. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure will receive weekly progress reports on its work.

“[The] SANDF is not going to do policing; they are just there to assist, to support, to complement the South African Police Service,” Masemola said. The task team follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement in hisState of the Nation addressthatorganised crime posed a severe threatto the country and the SANDF would be deployed to bolster police capacity in fighting it. “Our primary focus this year is on stepping up the fight against organised crime and criminal syndicates, using technology, intelligence and integrated law enforcement,” the president said.

The SAPS said the inclusion of the SANDF “is not only a strategic response but a necessary measure to restore public confidence and secure a safer environment for growth and investment”. In his speech last month, Ramaphosa announced additional frontline capacity, including 5 500 new police officers to be recruited this year, adding to the 20 000 new officers announced previously. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwanaannounced a peace and securityspending increase in hisbudget speechon 25 February, from R268.2 billion in 2025/26 to R291.2bn in 2028/29.

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Gondogwana allocated a further R2.7bn to the defence budget over the medium term to improve operations, including maintaining the South African Air Force’s fighter capability. An amount of R1bn was allocated to the police service and another R1bn to the SANDF to support the Criminal Assets Recovery Account against organised crime. On Wednesday, Masemola explained that soldiers would undertake support functions such as road searches, guarding police officers and manning roadblocks. “By using the SANDF it means we’ll have more SAPS members doing the real work than guiding their colleagues.

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