Parliament, Saturday, 28 March 2026 – The Joint Standing Committee on Defence and the Portfolio Committee on Police, in a joint meeting yesterday, received a briefing from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) on their preparedness for the planned domestic deployment.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, during his State of the Nation Address in February, announced the deployment of the SANDF to support the police in their efforts against gangsterism and illegal mining in the country.
The committees heard that the SANDF and the SAPS are working closely together on the operation, and that the first deployment against illicit mining and criminality in Gauteng began on 31 January 2026. The deployment is expected to end on 30 April 2026.
The committees also heard that force elements for the second deployment against gangsterism, illicit mining and criminality are currently engaged in the necessary deployment drills, including joint mission readiness training at various forward mounting bases in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, North West and Western Cape. The deployment is authorised to primarily operate in hot-spot areas in these provinces, as well as across the country, where the threat assessment informs adjustments to the deployment. Members of the two committees reiterated the importance of a high level of public awareness of the operation and its objectives, particularly in specific areas of deployment.
Members also called on both the SANDF and SAPS to ensure that other role-players in the operation, such as the Department of Social Development, with all the services it is supposed to provide, and the National Prosecuting Authority, among others, play their role meaningfully and effectively. The SANDF and SAPS assured members of a range of key operational issues, including joint command coordination capacity, the sufficiency of the budget, intelligence capacity and the empowerment of soldiers to arrest and secure successful convictions, among others. The committees stressed that the operation should be driven by the highest standard of integrity.
The committees told the senior SANDF and SAPS delegation that the operation must have teeth and leave the desired legacy, and that it must not be a mere visibility exercise that would be a regrettable waste of money. The officers outlined their exit strategy for each area and the SAPS maintenance plans for that area in the event of the termination of the operation.
The co-Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Mr Phiroane Phala, welcomed the briefing and said the committee appreciates the update on preparations underway. Mr Phala said the committee expects a meaningful and results-driven exercise. He called for joint, effective oversight by the two committees throughout the operation.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, expressed a concern on the unclear measurement of success of the deployment, and the lack of indication of using the opportunity of the deployment as a solution to build solutions in the SAPS to improve services after the termination of the operation.
Mr Cameron called for integrity management in the deployment. He said he was concerned that several SAPS members who are awaiting trial or being investigated for serious offences specifically for corruption have been called for deployment.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CO-CHAIRPERSON OF THE JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE, MR PHIROANE PHALA AND THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON POLICE, NR IAN CAMERON.
For media enquiries, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Mava Lukani (Mr)
Cell: 081 503-1840
E-mail: mlukani@parliament.gov.za
Arrange a tour