SA National Defence Force (SANDF) members will be deployed to the Western Cape’s worst-affected crime areas, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced yesterday during his budget vote speech in Parliament. According to TimesLIVE, Cele said the deployment came about because of the high number of murders in the Western Cape, most specifically in the Cape Town metro in recent years. He said he and Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula had asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to authorise the deployment of the army to help police combat crime and preserve law and order. ‘The President has since given the approval of the employment of the SANDF as requested by both Ministers,’ Cele said. SANDF members will work with the police for at least three months for cordons, searches, observation, and foot and vehicle patrols. They will also provide air support. Cele said the number of murders in Western Cape had increased from 3 729 to 3 963 during the 2018-19 financial year, compared with the previous financial year. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde welcomed the announcement. He said that until recently, Cele had maintained that crime on the Cape Flats was not bad enough to warrant deploying the army, and he welcomed this about-turn. ‘The SANDF could provide support and assist with holding perimeters and cordons in these exercises so that police can get on with the work of investigating crime and arresting perpetrators,’ Winde said.