SANDF deployment was ‘poorly co-ordinated’, says Ian Cameron

The deployment of the SA National Defence Force has come under scrutiny, with parliament’s police committee chairperson, Ian Cameron, claiming it was announced before parliament was formally informed. Speaking during the peace and security cluster media brief on Thursday, Cameron said the deployment was made public on February 12, while the official letter was only tabled in parliament on March 13. “Deployment was announced on the 12th of February, yet the letter informing parliament was tabled on the 13th of March.

This delay created an oversight vacuum that undermines the spirit of constitutional accountability and suggests that the community clusters are not being co-ordinated among each other successfully.” He cited a recent incident that happened on Wednesday as an example of co-ordination challenges. “Soldiers doing an operation on illegal mining in Randfontein on Wednesday had to wait two hours for the police to arrive and assist with arresting suspects. Also, the haphazard way in which some of the operations are going is not reflecting precision.” Cameron said while the SANDF deployment was welcome, it should not be relied on as a long-term solution.

“This has a risk of being a plaster being stuck on a wound that needs surgery. Recently, we saw the tragic killing of Ashtin Brookes in Seawinds, a 13-year-old boy shot and killed while playing soccer with his friends in January. “It reminds us of how many people become statistics, but we sometimes forget to say their names.

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Every time we brief, I repeat a lot of names. Just last night, at the Cape Flats, two children were shot dead.” His remarks come as informal settlements along SA borders have been flagged as enablers of cross-border crime. According to Phiroane Phala, co-chairperson of the joint standing committee on defence, the findings emerged during an oversight visit to Limpopo, including theBeitbridge border post.

“A village called Ha Tshirunda in Malala Drift constitutes an illegal land occupation and is reported to be a central point for cross-border crime,” said Phala. He said the area becomes more vulnerable when water levels in the Limpopo River are low, making crossings easier.

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