CAPE TOWN, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government is considering deploying the army to gang violence hotspots to tackle persistent gang-related crime.
The president's remarks came amid a surge in gang-related fatal incidents in several parts of the country.
"A call has been made to deploy the army," Ramaphosa told journalists on Saturday morning outside the African National Congress National Executive Committee Lekgotla, a local term referring a key political or government meeting.
However, he cautioned that soldiers are trained to neutralize threats rather than conduct investigations, so any decision to deploy them requires careful consideration. Ramaphosa stressed the need for a balanced approach in addressing the crisis.
"The gang violence is one of those challenges that we're facing. That is very prominent in our minds," Ramaphosa said.
Last weekend, at least 26 people were killed in a spate of gang-related violence in the Cape Flats, Cape Town, Western Cape Province. The violence included a mass shooting in Marikana, Philippi East Township, which left eight people dead.
The region has long been plagued by gang-related violence. Police statistics show 2,104 murders were reported in Cape Flats in the first nine months of 2025.
Between Dec. 29, 2025, and Jan. 11, 2026, the area recorded 58 gang-related murders and 60 attempted murders, according to Ian Cameron, chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on police. ■
