By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider 

A gap between the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) seems to be emerging as they tackle gang violence in the Cape Flats as members of the SANDF have been complaining about poor coordination. 

This gap has come to light after Parliament’s portfolio committee on Police in tandem with the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) had urged for stronger cooperation between the SANDF and SAPS as they express that effective coordination is essential to the deployment operation. 

The two committees had conducted an oversight visit jointly to assess Operation Prosper in gang affected areas such as Phillipi East, Delft, Gugulethu, Harare and Muizenberg. 

Voice notes that were obtained by Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA) and heard by the Cape Argus had revealed that members of the SANDF were complaining about the nature of how the operations were being conducted.

 “They focus mainly on tuck shops and shebeens. They don’t want to take us to the ‘big cats’…They are afraid to go to that guy. Every time we ask them to take us there, they don’t want to” said a SANDF soldier in the recording.

Another member had also raised concerns about the slowness of the military vehicles and expressed that it inhibits the soldiers from doing their work more effectively. “It’s not fit to do the job, those vehicles.

It takes very long to get out of those vehicles, and it takes very long to go into them…the space is too confined” said one member of the SANDF. SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa has expressed that the police have declined to comment on the recordings due to the lack of authentication from the SANDF as well as SAPS not having the opportunity to listen to the concerns raised in the recordings.

 “There’s a definite disconnect with regards to the operation on the ground that soldiers feel on the one side that the police don’t always attend to matters with the relevant urgency, or that they stay away from certain criminal strongholds” said Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron. 

The committees were also told that certain SAPS members have allegedly not provided sufficient evidence which could assist soldiers in being able to identify crucial hotspots for criminals.

 “If the SANDF knows something the police don’t, why wouldn’t you capitalise on that? And the other way around. Let’s support each other” he said. There have been concerns that Operation Prosper is failing in its effectiveness to put a stop to crime and that it’s merely an exercise in visibility.