‘Army Doesn’t Police Murder’: Maimane Warns SANDF Deployment Is No Fix for Crime Crisis

Calling for the army is popular. But it is not a solution.

That was the blunt message from Dr Mmusi Maimane, chairperson of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, during a briefing by Parliament’s Finance Cluster Committee on Monday.

His remarks came as government announced increased spending on peace and securityincluding R1 billion each for the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to fight organised crime, drawn from the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA) .

The Budget

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabled that spending on peace and securitywhich includes police services, defence, state security, law courts, prisons, and home affairswill rise from R268.2 billion in 2025/26 to R291.2 billion in 2028/29.

The current cost of the SANDF deployment is unknown, but Godongwana said it would be funded through Section 16 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) , which governs emergency spending.

The Warning

Maimane acknowledged the R1 billion investment but struck a cautionary note.

“I know it’s a very popular thing to say, ‘send the army, send the army, send the army.’ But what the army doesn’t do is, it doesn’t police murder, and I want that point to sink in.”

His point: the army can tactically give police breathing room. But it cannot address the fundamentals.

“Ultimately, all the army can do is tactically give the police an opportunity to be able to catch up. But it isn’t a fundamental solution to addressing the fact that 74 South Africans are being murdered every day in the last quarter.”

Nor does it address the fact that murder conviction rates are one in five.

“We will be looking at budget allocation, and increasing the number of headcounts and police, making sure that we can employ more detectives, and ultimately make sure South Africa is a safe place to invest in.”

Beyond Crime

Maimane also turned his attention to healthcare and education.

He said there is no denying that the doctor-to-patient ratio needs improvement, and that what happened at Tembisa Hospital is “an insult.”

“When people loot resources at a hospital, and it seems like there’s a continuation… Every rand that is spent must deliver value. Therefore, those who are stealing resources from people are actually putting citizens’ lives at risk.”

He painted a stark picture: “A citizen who goes to Tembisa and cannot find oxygen, and cannot find a bed. People don’t prefer to sleep on the floor because they feel like it. The harsh reality and the consequence of that issue means that ultimately, citizens are being put at absolute risk.”

Education and the Future

Maimane called for investment in infrastructure that builds libraries and ensures maths and science are available for young South Africans.

“Because if we fail at that task, it means that our young people become further unemployable. And secondly, they have no capability of being able to go further into tertiary education, and compete with citizens from all over the world.”

The Bottom Line

The army is being deployed. Billions are being spent. But Maimane’s warning cuts through the noise: soldiers don’t solve murder. Detectives do. Convictions do. And until the fundamentalspolice numbers, conviction rates, hospital beds, and educationare addressed, the crisis will continue.

The SANDF can help. But it cannot fix South Africa alone.

{Source: IOL}

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