CAPE TOWN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Police are escalating operations to wipe out gangs in the Western Cape which has seen an increase in gang-related violence in recent months, Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Sunday.
The operations, launched earlier this week, have led to the arrest of more than 100 suspects, Cele said during a visit to Philippi, a gang-infested suburb of Cape Town.
This was Cele's second visit to the area since 13 people were shot dead in gang-related violence last weekend.
Cele interacted with residents in Philippi, assuring them that police would restore stability and peace in the area.
He said the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would assist police in the fight against gangs.
Police have been escalating their operations in Cape Town's gang-infested suburbs and other places in the Western Cape province where gang-related violence is rampant, Cele said.
On Thursday, Cele announced that the SANDF would deploy soldiers in gang-infested areas, starting on Friday. But up until Sunday, no soldiers were seen on the streets, drawing complaints from some residents.
The atmosphere was tense in Philippi despite the reinforcement of police. A resident, who refused to be named, said he doubted that police alone could curb violence in gang-ridden communities.
Cele told the residents on Sunday that the army would be deployed in the next coming days after troops have completed orientation.
The troops "will be here" in about two days, and "you will see them here," Cele said.
He called on residents to trust the police, saying it is the police who will do the work and the army's job is to support the police.
SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said earlier that due processes would have to be followed before the deployment.
"We will deploy once we are satisfied that all the systems are put in place for the deployment," Dlamini said.
He refused to give the exact time when the army would be deployed but said it would take place "pretty soon."
"We need to make sure all the deployment papers are in place. We need to make sure that our soldiers have received full orientation of the area and we know where we are going to," the spokesperson said.
The deployment of troops in gang-infested areas in Cape Town and the Western Cape came as requested by the local communities and was approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to Cele.
These areas have seen gangs spiralling out of control for many years. For more than a decade, the communities have called on the national government to deploy the army to help police in the fight against gangs.
Cele had previously turned down repeated calls for the deployment of troops to help quell gang violence in affected areas, saying the army was not trained to deal with civilians, and the rate of crime in the city has not reached the point that necessitates the deployment of the SANDF.
The opposition says the deployment of the army is indicative that police have lost the war on crimes.
