Johannesburg – Government on Monday said processes to deploy members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) to Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal to quell unrests in the two provinces have been kickstarted.
The SANDF in a statement said the army will be brought in to assist police in getting handle of the volatile situation.
“The SANDF has commenced with pre-deployment processes and procedures in line with a request for assistance received from the NATJOINTS to assist law enforcement agencies deployed in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal Provinces,” the statement reads in part.
The decision to call in the army follows utterances made by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday. The president issued a stern warning to protesters breaking the law in the country.
“In the past few days, we have seen sporadic but increasingly violent protests in some parts of the country,” Ramaphosa said during his address to the nation on the government’s latest response to the pandemic that the country is facing.
“Key infrastructure like national roads have been affected, slowing down the transportation of goods and services that keep our economy running. Property has been destroyed. Cars have been stoned. People have been intimidated and threatened, and some have even been hurt. These acts are endangering lives and damaging our efforts to rebuild the economy ” Ramaphosa further said.
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