Minister to face MPs on violence
DEFENCE and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will today face members of Parliament amid the violence raging in some cities with calls for increased deployment of the army.
This comes after it was announced that soldiers would be sent to volatile areas in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
But opposition parties called for a large contingent of the army in the hotspots.
Chairperson of the joint standing committee on defence Cyril Xaba said they wanted to meet the minister as this was an urgent matter.
Xaba said: “The committee has considered it urgent to interact with the minister and the top brass of the military to receive a briefing on the internal security situation following the outbreak of unrest, vandalism of property and brazen looting of shops in both KZN and Gauteng.
“The committee is calling for calm and restoration of law and order. The committee is worried about (the effects of) these incidents on the economy and jobs, especially considering that our economy was just starting to recover from the debilitating effects of the pandemic.”
DA leader John Steenhuisen said they were concerned that soldiers had not been deployed in other areas where looting continued.
The looting would cause damage to the economy, he said.
More soldiers were needed on the ground instead of the 2 500 personnel deployed in KZN and Gauteng, he said.
“What I also saw in these communities is that both the SAPS and the so-called SANDF deployment are nowhere in this crisis,” he said.
“There has been no re-establishment of law and order at all – we saw buildings still burning and we saw bodies still lying in the streets.”
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said they had not seen the army in the areas gripped by violence.
He said the Cabinet had not acted fast enough to prevent further damage to properties and businesses.
He said the deployment of 2 500 soldiers would not help to contain the situation.
“The government appears to be fast asleep at the wheel while the country burns. It is imperative that the president, together with the Cabinet ministers responsible for the Justice and the Security Cluster, act with urgency in working to restore peace, justice and to uphold the rule of law.
“Millions of lives and livelihoods are being destroyed and our economy is losing billions each day due to indecision by the executive,” said Hlabisa.