About turn

SURELY President Jacob Zuma’s decision to send 400 troops to the Central African Republic makes a further mockery of his refusal to deploy troops on the Cape Flats last year when requested to by Premier Helen Zille?

At that time, a school of thought existed that troops should not be deployed in support of the civil power, as they were not equipped for such a task. That is nonsense! If they are not equipped for that task, they should be retrained so that they are. Troops have been used for hundreds of years, even prior to the formation of police forces, to deal with civil commotion.

Your report, “Zuma sends troops to Central African Republic” (December 7), quotes Mac Maharaj as saying the troops are being employed to bring about peace and stability in the region.

Is that not what Zille was trying to achieve on the Cape Flats?

Admittedly, in the CAR our soldiers may have to undertake a more classical military role, particularly if faced with rebels advancing from the north.

But the crux of the matter is that any decision by the central government concerning the stability of the Western Cape seems to be taken with a view to destabilising the situation further, rather than bringing about peace and stability.

This is further highlighted by the fact that troops were deployed in the north of South Africa subsequent to the refusal to deploy them in the Western Cape.

David Christie

Villiersdorp