By Akani Nkuna
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia on Wednesday cautioned against perceptions that the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would definitively eradicate crime.
“The deployment of SANDF is not being presented as a panacea or as a magic bullet. The deployment of the army is for a stabilisation strategy, to create space for the implementation of an organised crime strategy,” he said while addressing a joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Police and Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
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“There are going to be very serious challenges in implementing an organised crime strategy, because the implementation strategy is going to require a significant re-organisation, resourcing and re-capacitation of SAPS. We need a new paradigm embodied in this organised crime strategy.”
He said that heightened military visibility would increase law enforcement capabilities to comprehensively contain gang violence and illegal mining, adding that the deployment should not cast aspersions on SAPS capacity. He said that Operation Vala Umgodi epitomised SAPS’ might to combat criminal networks successfully.
He said tackling organised crime would require a society-wide effort involving all relevant stakeholders that combines prevention with stronger enforcement and would help make up for law enforcement’s “obvious limitations” in dealing with crime.
“There needs to be a focus on prevention, and the oversight process should assist us to address this problem of organised crime holistically through an all government and society approach which focuses both on enforcement, more focused, more strategic, more intelligent driven enforcement plus prevention,” said Cachalia.
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SAPS National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola told the committees that a R1 billion budget had been allocated primarily for implementing the national organised crime plan, but emphasised that the money does not cover the SANDF, which operates on its own budget.
However, he said that R300 million would be drawn from the R1 billion and repurposed for the joint stabilisation operation with the SANDF in crime ridden provinces.
“The deployment of SANDF is there to stabilise the areas, while the rest of the teams will be dealing with the organised crime with a view to dismantle those organised syndicates. The main objective is that stabilisation happens within the gang areas [in the Western Cape] and illegal mining areas [in Gauteng],” Masemola said.
Major General Mark Henkel said SANDF members had undergone pre-deployment training that focused on human rights.
Henkel added that SANDF members would also be trained to use SAPS force protocols and escalation procedures.
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He said members are barred from torture, discriminatory or degrading treatment of perpetrators. SANDF members who arrest or detain any person, or seize any object relating to a crime scene, are obligated to hand it to police for an adequate investigation process to take effect.
“When we are functioning in the presence of police officers at crime scenes, the police take precedent and lead the operation. That is one of the basic principles. Irrespective of the rank of the police officers, that person under those circumstances will take the lead,” said Henkel.
