By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA Police Services (SAPS) National Commissioner, Fannie Masemola says the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) alongside police aims to stabilise priority crime hotspot areas in the country.
He was speaking at a National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) briefing with representatives of the SAPS and SANDF on Sunday, 15 March.
“The deployment of both the SANDF and SAPS will stabilise hotspot areas,” Masemola said. “This will allow organised crime teams to infiltrate and conduct investigations in targeted areas where they will deal directly with criminal syndicates operating there.”
Authorities have identified provinces such as Free State, Gauteng and North West as key battlegrounds in the fight against illegal mining.
Masemola warned that sophisticated criminal groups have entrenched themselves in these areas, exploiting both abandoned and active mining infrastructure.
“In these provinces there are sophisticated mining criminal groupings,” he said. “They continue to exploit abundant and active mining infrastructure, generating enormous illicit financial flows while feeding violence between gangs and rival groups.”
The activities of illegal miners have also had serious environmental consequences. Masemola noted that criminal networks often divert resources to sustain their operations.
“As you are aware, they use a lot of water and in many cases, they steal the water,” he said. “This contributes to environmental degradation and damages infrastructure.”
Masemola said through coordinated operations, the SANDF will assist SAPS with enhanced visibility, targeted enforcement and stabilisation measures in identified hotspots.
Operational coordination will be managed through NATJOINTS, which will oversee intelligence-led planning and ensure cooperation among security agencies and government departments.
Joint Operational Centres have also been established to facilitate coordination between SAPS, SANDF and other law enforcement agencies.
“The objectives of this joint deployment are clear – to stabilise priority crime hotspots, dismantle organised criminal syndicates, restore law and order, and reclaim communities from criminal networks, “Masemola said.
He said South Africans will begin to see increased visibility of security forces, intensified operations against illegal mining and gang activities, and strengthened protection of critical infrastructure.
However, Masemola stressed that the intervention is not only about law enforcement but also about restoring stability and rebuilding trust between communities and the state.
“Success will therefore be measured not only in arrests or confiscations, but in the reduction of violence, the disruption of criminal networks and the restoration of community confidence,” he said.
Masemola called on communities to work with law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime, emphasising that public safety is a shared national responsibility.
The final phase of the joint mission readiness training was ongoing, said Masemola, after which the deployment of the SANDF would be expanded.
“During this [training] phase, operational matters such as rules of engagement, communication procedures and base standing orders are finalised. This preparation ensures that members are equipped to operate effectively within a cooperative operational framework,” he said.
Masemola emphasised that the deployment was not only about enforcement, but also restoring stability, rebuilding trust between communities and law enforcement, and creating safer conditions for social and economic development.
The joint briefing follows on from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement in his State of the Nation Address in February that he was deploying the SANDF to support the police and strengthen the fight against gang violence.
General Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the SANDF, said South Africa had seen too many lives lost to criminality and that the joint operation would give criminal elements “no quarter”.
“We will work jointly with our counterparts in the police service and ensure that the state apparatus is empowered to have the monopoly of force. And if you challenge us, we will show those criminal elements by any means,” he said.
As part of its operational objectives, the task force aims to reduce crime in designated action areas, arrest suspects, recover illegal firearms and confiscate mining equipment used in illegal operations.