President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally bowed to pressure and ordered the army onto South Africa’s streets, deploying soldiers to back up the police in gang-ridden and crime-plagued areas of the Western Cape and Gauteng

In a high-stakes State of the Nation address in Cape Town, Ramaphosa dramatically declared organised crime the country’s top security threat, insisting it is tearing apart democracy, social cohesion and the economy

South Africa is now living with an astonishing average of around 60 murders a day, with Cape Town’s townships effectively turned into battlegrounds for gang turf wars and Johannesburg’s surroundings dominated by heavily armed illegal mining syndicates These groups are widely blamed not only for killings, but for extortion, protection rackets and even the sabotage of key infrastructure

Ramaphosa claimed he has instructed the Minister of Police and the South African National Defence Force to produce a tactical deployment plan for crime hotspots in the two provinces within days Soldiers will be sent in to reinforce the South African Police Service in so-called high-risk operations, while government promises yet another wave of crime-fighting measures, including recruiting 5,500 more officers, boosting intelligence and targeting “priority syndicates”

Politicians across the spectrum rushed to react, with most parties publicly backing the move while carefully positioning themselves for maximum political gain The Democratic Alliance, now a key partner in the government of national unity, quickly endorsed the deployment as a necessary response to spiralling violence DA leader John Steenhuisen said authorities in Cape Town and the Western Cape would welcome the extra boots on the ground, but he was quick to warn that the military must stay under police command, insisting soldiers cannot be allowed to morph into everyday cops

Not everyone is convinced the state can actually pull this off The uMkhonto weSizwe party, aligned with former president Jacob Zuma, openly mocked the plan Acting leader Des van Rooyen argued that years of defence budget cuts have left the SANDF hollowed out and overstretched, calling the promise to send troops after illegal miners without a clear funding plan “laughable” and suggesting the announcement is more political theatre than practical solution

Ramaphosa also tried to link his crime crackdown to a broader rescue narrative, claiming the economy has “turned a corner” even as he admitted growth is still far too weak to tackle deep poverty and mass unemployment He pledged almost 10 billion dollars over three years to fix collapsing water systems, conceding that constant outages are destroying public trust and scaring off investors

Analysts say the tough talk on organised crime and the big infrastructure promises are not just aimed at local voters but at foreign governments and investors watching nervously from the sidelines The message Ramaphosa is trying to send is clear South Africa is still open for business and still in control even as soldiers prepare to roll into its most dangerous streets