Police Oversight and Community Safety
With regard to the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on the Cape Flats:
- Whether she formally requested the deployment of the SANDF on the Cape Flats; if so, (a) on what date was the request made, (b) to whom in the national executive was the request directed and (c) what evidence or data did her Department rely on to support such a request;
- (a) what oversight mechanisms are in place to monitor the conduct and effectiveness of the SANDF deployment on the Cape Flats and (b) how does she plan to report to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament on the (i) progress and (ii) outcomes of the deployment;
- what mechanisms have been established to ensure that residents of the Cape Flats can raise complaints regarding the conduct of the SANDF during the deployment;
- whether she has engaged with national authorities regarding an exit strategy for the SANDF deployment on the Cape Flats; if so, what are the relevant details;
- (a) what are the details of the SANDF’s deployment and (b) when does this commence?
(1) The Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety has not formally called for the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the province. The Department remains concerned by the ongoing inability of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to effectively deal with gangsterism and organised crime, and specifically the low rates of detection and conviction within the justice system in the Western Cape. To this end, the Western Cape Government has continuously called for National Government to properly resource and capacitate the SAPS in the Western Cape, and specifically to strengthen specialised units such as Crime Intelligence, the Anti-Gang Unit and Detective Services. Moreover, the Department remains of the view that additional enforcement capacity must be matched with an enhanced investigative capacity and has thus called for the expansion of this capacity to capable sub-national governments. Until enforcement capacity is guided by a strong investigative capability, chances for meaningful successes in the fight against organised crime remain limited.
(2) (a) The Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety does not have an oversight mandate over the SANDF. We will continue to exercise our oversight role over SAPS in the province, who retain command and control over the operations during the deployment period.
The absence of provincial oversight mechanisms over the SANDF remains a significant concern for the Department. To address this gap, we are in the process of engaging with the relevant national oversight bodies to establish appropriate reporting and monitoring protocols, as well as to propose relevant channels for members of the public to report misconduct etc. during the deployment.
(b) The Western Cape Provincial Parliament exercises oversight over departments through Oversight Committees. The Standing Committee on Police Oversight and Community Safety is therefore able to utilise these ordinary mechanisms in place to request any information they require as part of their functions on behalf of the Provincial legislature.
(3) Refer to the response in 2(a).
(4) An exit strategy after the deployment will form part of our ongoing discussions with the SAPS and SANDF.
(5) (a) The Western Cape Cabinet recently summonsed the Provincial Commissioner to provide clarity on specific deployment details. No official deployment details could be confirmed because the SANDF deployment is managed at a national level.
(b) According to official communication from the Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner, the SANDF deployment commenced on 1 April 2026.
