Sona: SA army to march into Cape Town and parts of Gauteng, says Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the State of the Nation Address in Cape Town on 12 February 2026. Picture: GCIS President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will deploy SANDF soldiers to the Western Cape and parts of Gauteng to fight gang violence and illegal mining. He said this on Thursday night during his State of the Nation Address (Sona) in Cape Town.

“Now, as is required by the constitution, I will inform the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces regarding the timing and place of the deployment of our soldiers and how much it will cost. “We have to act to rid our country of gang violence,” he said. Ramaphosa’s move to send the army into Cape Town comes months before the local government elections.

It also comes at a time when the City of Cape Town has been accused of being anti-poor by building a wall along the highway from the airport in an attempt to fight crime. The ministers of police and defence have been roped in to ensure that the army is sent where it is most needed. Ramaphosa said the government is working on an integrated strategy to work on the root causes of crime.

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“We are going to tackle gun crime by streamlining legislation and regulations on licensing, possessing and trading in firearms and ammunition. We will increase the enforcement of existing gun laws. He also said the police force will be bolstered with thousands of new officers.

Ramaphosa said the hearings that are taking place in theMadlanga Commissionof Inquiry and those that are taking place in parliament’s ad hoc committee have exposed rampant corruption in the South African Police Service (Saps) and metro police. He said the country will not tolerate this.

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