IN MY VIEW | Is deploying army to fight gangs a serious effort or an electioneering ploy?

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President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in February that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be deployed to the Eastern Cape and two other provinces to address the scourge of gang violence and organised crime.

Ramaphosa’s announcement, when carried in The Herald in February, had many clapping and rejoicing that the government was finally listening to the cries of the people, especially given the inclusion of the Eastern Cape, in particular, the northern areas of Gqeberha.

But it begs the question: is the defence force on its own a sustainable solution to this problem in the long term?

The answer is no, because the army was deployed in Cape Town in 2019 for the same reason, and it was not effective nor sustainable then to deal with the gang issue.

The government, instead of going back to the drawing board to find out why it wasn’t effective then, is repeating the same exercise once again.

One could say that it is just as an electioneering tool as we all know this is the year of the 2026 local government elections.

This as attempts to get the government to make a concerted effort in addressing the scourge of gangsterism over the years has always fallen on deaf ears.

Case in point are the attempts I and other academics have made to try to engage government authorities based on the research we’ve done in our efforts to find interventions that could effectively deal with the phenomenon of gangsterism.

In 2020, for example, I presented the findings of my master’s dissertation to the anti-gang unit in the province.

My research dealt with protective factors that could prevent young boys from getting involved in gangs.

I was praised by them as my research findings culminated and identified various programmes that could be used effectively to prevent gang involvement in adolescent boys.

Needless to say, only empty promises were made that amounted to nothing.

Quite a number of journal articles were also published by me and other academics, specifically also dealing with the punitive approach to gangs and gangsterism on its own not being an effective solution unless coupled with psychosocial programmes that deal with the deeply rooted causes of the phenomenon.

Softening the “iron hand” (punitive/militarised) approach to dealing with gangs involves transitioning from sole reliance on, or purely reactive, law enforcement to a more holistic, multi-pronged approach that addresses the root causes of violence, such as poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunities.

This shift recognises that militarised, “iron fist” tactics are unsustainable and often fail to produce long-term, positive results.

Alternative and complementary strategies that we offered through our research include:

A “whole-of-society” approach: Moving away from, or complementing, reactive policing with a sustained intervention involving collaboration between government, civil society organisations and communities:
Community-based prevention and intervention: Implementing programmes that focus on early intervention, social protection and youth pathways to prevent recruitment;
Addressing social and economic drivers: Tackling the underlying socioeconomic conditions such as high unemployment that fuels gang involvement;
Restorative justice and reintegration: Offering programmes for the rehabilitation and reintegration of former gang members into society;
Focus on positive role models: Utilising mentorship programmes and gang-awareness campaigns that use reformed members to educate at-risk youth about the dangers and, crucially, the consequences of gang life; and
Strengthening community policing: Enhancing trust between law enforcement and communities, which is often eroded by aggressive, militarised policing.

This and other published journal articles dealing with potential solutions to the gang phenomenon were once again presented and submitted to the civilian secretariat of the then police minister Bheki Cele in 2023, and no effort was made whatsoever to get back to us.

So, you have to ask yourself: Is the government really serious about addressing the gang problem and the senseless killings of innocent people in our communities, or is this deployment of the army only an electioneering tool, trying to win back the lost confidence of the electorate due to the constant failure of politicians?

Because if they were, then they would collaborate with academics who have done extensive research into the phenomenon, as well as other relevant stakeholders, to come up with sustainable interventions and programmes that actually have the potential to bring about long-term positive change in the lives of communities grappling with crime and gangsterism.

Deploying the army might bring short-term relief, but what about the long term: will they be present in these communities forever? I think not.

Other potential interventions need to be also looked at, proof of which has been submitted to the government, though there appears to be no willingness from them to engage and implement.