Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice and the African National Congress (ANC) have expressed appreciation for the visibility of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in various parts of the country, saying the deployment should be understood in context as creating stability in communities, and protecting society from crime.

There have been mixed reactions to the deployment, with some political parties and civil society organisations raising alarms about the legality of the deployment, citing concerns with constitutional oversight.

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the SANDF to support the South African Police Service (Saps) in tackling gang violence and illegal mining in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape.

Committee chairperson Jane Mananiso said an impression must never be created that Ramaphosa acted unlawfully or bypassed parliamentary processes.

“This deployment will ensure the restoration of peace to troubled and violated communities. Our police have for too long become victims to criminals while they needed to observe legislative requirements instead of dealing aggressively with criminals who have no regard whatsoever for other people’s human rights,” she said.

The committee emphasised the importance of cooperation, collaboration and partnership between all law enforcement agencies in combating crime and bringing peace to communities.

“Our communities want decisive action in combating drugs, gangs, extortion, the water mafia, illegal mining and illegal immigration. All these affect service delivery negatively if not responded to,” Mananiso said.

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu explained that the deployment was a plan in action, to curb gangsterism, the proliferation of drugs and illegal mining.

She refuted what she said were distortions by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that the army was not well trained and prepared to deal with these crimes.

The DA on Thursday demanded Ramaphosa urgently clarify why the letters of employment for the SANDF deployments, particularly those relating to gang violence in Gauteng, the Western Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay, had still not been tabled before the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

The party said while it welcomed the SANDF’s short-term deployment to support the Saps, it as concerned by the apparent lack of constitutional compliance.

“The DA’s posture and rejection of the army deployment, falsehoods of unpreparedness and allegations of heavy handedness and brute force akin to the erstwhile apartheid army occupation of communities is opportunistic and indifferent to the plight of the people of the Western Cape, which is infested by the high levels of crime which have reached alarming and uncontrollable proportions,” stated Bhengu.