Members of the SANDF during a patrol in Mitchells Plain.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has revealed that the deployment of soldiers under Operation Prosper, aimed at addressing gang violence, has not dismantled gangs since their deployment in April.
Cachalia said Operation Prosper will shift into “disabling and dismantling identified groupings” when it transitions from its initial phase.
He stated that 34 suspects were arrested for dealing in drugs through the joint SAPS-SANDF deployment.
“No gangs were dismantled during this period, and it is noted that ‘dismantled’ means that the entire gang ceases to exist. The operation is currently transitioning from its initial phase, with the focus shifting from disruptive operations to the disabling and dismantling of identified criminal groupings,” he said.
Cachalia was responding to parliamentary questions from ActionSA MP Dereleen James when she enquired about the status of the deployment of the SANDF in support of the SAPS in five provinces - particularly targeting gang violence in the Western Cape and illegal mining in Gauteng.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the 12-month deployment, which is estimated to cost more than R800 million, when he delivered the State of the Nation Address in February.
The deployment officially started in April, but the deployment in Gauteng on illegal mining commenced in February in pursuance of the first Presidential Minute.
Cachalia said the deployment of the soldiers has resulted in 916 arrests and the confiscation of 21 firearms during April.
A total of 18 ecstasy tablets, 6,263 mandrax tablets, and 397,273 grams of mandrax powder, as well as 30,252 prescription tablets of various types, were confiscated during the operations.
“A total of 1,260,27 kilograms of dagga was recovered, along with 3,650,56 grams of cocaine and 46 grams of crack cocaine. Further seizures included 2,364,02 grams of crystal meth (Tik), 18,114 grams of heroin in various forms, 2,74 grams of khat, and 8 grams of nyaope/whoonga/woonga,” he said.
DA MP Lisa Schickerling said Cachalia’s promise of a more targeted second phase of Operation Prosper comes with a deeply troubling admission.
“After three months of deployment, not a single gang was dismantled. This is despite the deployment of the SAPS and the SANDF to gang hotspots on the Cape Flats and surrounding areas at an estimated cost of R823 million over 13 months,” she said.
“The DA, therefore, calls for intelligence-led policing and specialist gang prosecutions that lead to measurable results in catching and convicting criminals,” Schickerling added.
She noted that communities were promised restored order, disrupted criminal networks, and a visible reclaiming of the state’s authority, but the residents have seen continued shootings, escalating gang violence, and little meaningful change in their daily lives.
Schickerling said Cachalia’s admission that no gang was dismantled during the first phase of the operation was a damning indictment of an intervention that was sold to the public as a serious anti-gang response.
She further said the government cannot keep spending hundreds of millions on deployments that produced statistics on confiscated drugs and arrests, while gang bosses remained in place and neighbourhoods remained under siege.
“The DA calls on Acting Minister Cachalia to ensure that Phase Two is backed by real intelligence capacity, strengthened detective work, specialised anti-gang investigations, and prosecutorial coordination that targets criminal leadership rather than just foot soldiers.
“Residents of the Cape Flats do not need another reannouncement of government intent. Residents need safer streets, dismantled gangs, and a police service capable of delivering lasting results,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa has informed Parliament of his decision to authorise further deployment of 3,045 soldiers to support the police to prevent and combat crime.
The deployment, from June 28 until the end of July, will come at a cost of R54 million.
“Members of the SANDF will assist the SAPS in maintaining law and order in the country during the countrywide planned marches against illegal immigrants. Members of SANDF employment will be on standby for any eventualities,” he said.