South African Army Patrols Johannesburg: Operation Against Gangs and Organized Crime

Soldiers of the South African National Defence Force were deployed on the streets of Johannesburg on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, to support the police in the fight against organized crime. Military patrols appeared primarily in the Eldorado Park and Riverlea neighborhoods, which have been struggling for months with escalating gang violence and drug trafficking. Soldiers are participating in direct operational activities, including roadblocks and searches of buildings suspected of being hideouts for criminal groups. The decision to use the army came after a series of brutal incidents that paralyzed daily life in these parts of the city. The use of the military for police tasks in South Africa has its history in periods of deep internal crisis. In July 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed 2,500 soldiers to quell mass riots and looting in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, which erupted after the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma. The current 2026 operation is another instance of deploying armed forces to control a situation that the police alone were unable to manage.

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa officially announced the plan to deploy the military on February 12, 2026, during an address to parliament. The head of state argued that the scale of gang activity had become an existential challenge for the country. In the first phase of the operation in the Gauteng province, 550 soldiers were involved, as the president informed in an official note sent to the parliamentary speaker. The operation aims not only at the physical elimination of threats but also at restoring a sense of security in regions where state structures have been displaced by local cartels. Timeline of SANDF Mobilization: February 12, 2026 — President's Announcement; February 27, 2026 — Public Debate; March 11, 2026 — Start of Patrols

The presence of heavily armed units on the streets has been met with a positive reaction from some local politicians and residents, tired of the impunity of criminals. Local councilor Juwairiya Kaldine welcomed the military's entry into the region, emphasizing that the situation required radical steps. Despite the enthusiasm of part of society, human rights organizations point to the risk of abuses and the lack of soldiers' training for working with civilians in urban environments. The government, however, stresses that the priority is to protect democratic institutions from mafia influence.