Soldiers were deployed on the streets of Johannesburg on Wednesday after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced plans last month to use the army to help police fight gang violence and illegal mining. The troops were seen in the suburb of Riverlea in the first major deployment since Ramaphosa said organised crime was the greatest threat to South Africa's democracy and economic development.
In a notice to the Speaker of Parliament, Ramaphosa said 550 soldiers would be involved in an initial deployment in Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, to help combat crime and preserve law and order. That deployment is set to last until the end of April.
The government plans a wider deployment in five of its nine provinces, focusing on illegal mining in Gauteng, North West and Free State, and gang violence in Western Cape and Eastern Cape. Parts of the national deployment could last more than a year, police officials said.
South Africa has high rates of violent crime. Police reported 6,351 homicides from October to December 2025, an average of nearly 70 a day in a country of around 62 million people.
