Western Cape Government welcomes SANDF deployment extension but changes must be made
16 September 2019
Premier Alan Winde and Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, welcome the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the SANDF deployment will be extended by a further six months.
President Ramaphosa made the announcement just hours before the original deployment was due to come to an end.
Premier Winde said: “We wrote to the President to request the extension because we believe that the army can play an important role in peacekeeping in some of our communities most impacted by crime. In our letter to the President, we set out very clear conditions for an extension, because we believe that the effectiveness of the army needs to be maximized, and the outcomes of their deployment monitored. It is unclear at this stage whether the President, and the Ministers of Police and Defence will be implementing the conditions we requested.”
Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz said: “ I welcome the extension of the deployment until 31 March 2020. The success of the deployment remains hotly contested. Whilst the number of murders remains relatively unchanged compared to prior to the deployment, the deployment has been successful in affecting arrests, particularly of wanted suspects. Between this past Thursday and Sunday, 395 arrests were made for persons in possession of drugs, illegal firearms and ammunition, and unlicensed liquor. Of the 395 arrested, 191 were wanted suspects."