Zille and Mthethwa disagree on deployment of army to gang ridden hotspots

Imogen Vollenhoven
23 August 2013

Western Premier Helen Zille and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa met on Thursday to discuss possible interventions to try and combat gang violence in hotspot areas. 

Premier Zille’s Spokesperson Zak Mbhele said there was a broad agreement that a holistic approach is important in the long term.

However they were not able to arrive on the same page in terms of the need for a temporary army deployment as a piece keeping force to stabilise crisis areas, in the immediate time frame. 

“We still believe very strongly that the army is important in certain situations for the short term to address crises situations however the police minister does not agree,” added Mbhele.

He also said that their call still remains that the army is an important supplement to support the police in situations where it is needed, so that the police can do their core work of investigations, arrests and ensuring convictions in courts so that gang members responsible for violence can be deterred from that kind of criminality in future.