Pretoria: National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has asserted that the authority of the State will triumph over criminality and lawlessness as the government steps up its efforts to combat organised crime by deploying the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support police operations.
According to South African Government News Agency, Masemola made this announcement at a joint media briefing at the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) Coordination Centre in Pretoria on Sunday. He emphasized that the joint intervention with the South African Police Service (SAPS) is a crucial move to enhance the nation's response to violent crime and organized criminal networks.
Masemola was joined by Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya, and the co-chairpersons of the NATJOINTS, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili and Lieutenant-General Siphiwe Sangweni, during the media briefing. President Cyril Ramaphosa has sanctioned the deployment of SANDF members under Operation Prosper, involving over 2,000 soldiers working alongside SAPS for a 13-month period.
The initiative will target crime hotspots in several provinces, including the Free State, Gauteng, North West, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape. These areas have been identified through intelligence and crime analysis as being significantly impacted by criminal activity.
The purpose of this intervention, Masemola explained, is to provide the SA Police Service with the necessary space to address street crime and to disrupt, disable, and dismantle organized crime groups through a coordinated operational framework where SANDF and SAPS will collaborate to stabilize crime-affected areas and restore the rule of law in communities where criminal networks have undermined the authority of the State.
Masemola highlighted the complex organized crime threats destabilizing South African communities, particularly in the Free State, Gauteng, and North West, where illegal mining by organized criminal groups has led to illicit financial flows and violence between rival factions. In the Western and Eastern Cape and parts of Gauteng, gang-related violence has exacerbated issues of murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and the spread of illegal firearms.
He noted that these criminal activities are interconnected, often tied to illegal migration, illicit firearms trafficking, corruption networks, and attacks on essential infrastructure. The scale, sophistication, and persistence of these crimes necessitate this extraordinary and integrated response by the government, which the joint deployment aims to achieve.
Masemola outlined that the SANDF will assist SAPS with enhanced visibility, targeted enforcement, and stabilization measures in identified crime hotspots through coordinated operations. The NATJOINTS will manage operational coordination, overseeing intelligence-led planning and ensuring cooperation among security agencies and government departments, with Joint Operational Centres established to facilitate coordination between SAPS, SANDF, and other law enforcement agencies.
The objectives of this joint deployment are to stabilize priority crime hotspots, dismantle organized criminal syndicates, restore law and order, and reclaim communities from criminal networks. Masemola assured that South Africans will witness increased visibility of security forces, intensified operations against illegal mining and gang activities, and strengthened protection of critical infrastructure.
He stressed that the intervention is not solely about law enforcement but also about restoring stability and rebuilding trust between communities and the state. Success will be measured not only by arrests or confiscations but also by the reduction of violence, disruption of criminal networks, and restoration of community confidence.
Masemola urged communities to collaborate with law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime, emphasizing that public safety is a shared national responsibility. He called for greater parental and guardian responsibility for children's behavior, amid concerns about young people, including children as young as 13, being involved in crime.