By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider

Members of Parliament have expressed their dismay over the work that the South African Defense Force (SANDF) is doing in the Cape Flats, as violence and murder continue to ensue in the area.

The acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, had appeared before the police portfolio committee last week Wednesday as he faced tough questions regarding what the MPs have said about the infiltration of the SANDF in the area as they have expressed that there is a lack of intelligence-driven strategy that is solidifying Operation Prosper.

Since 1 April, soldiers have been deployed in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape in order to stabilise the gang violence in the provinces, while in Free State, Gauteng, and North West they have been aiming to stabilise illicit mining.

“If anything, since the deployment of the SANDF, there’s been more deaths on the Cape Flats,” said ActionSA MP Darleen James. James also highlighted that there has been no reports on the progress of the operation.

 Newly appointed acting national commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, was present at the committee to brief the annual performance plans for the 2026/27 financial year.

 “Your presentation speaks to a whole-of-government approach. Why don’t we have that when it comes to this intervention? What are the challenges ? Because it has clearly fallen flat on its back” said Dimpane.

 “Why haven’t we included forensics in this operation? It’s not there. There’s no intelligence. We speak to members involved in these operations- there’s absolutely no intelligence” added Dimpane.

 Dimpane also highlighted that SANDF and SAPS officers have conducted any operation during a 1 hour drive along these different gang hotspots.

 “They drove through the community, they smiled, they waved, and then went to park, and that was the end. What is happening ? We have allocated billions, yet we only see one SANDF van with eight members and four SAPS vehicles in our communities” said Dimpane.

R823 has been allocated towards Operation Prosper, and in the month of April eight people have been killed in one afternoon in Mitchell’s plain in separate incidents. In a separate case a six year old girl was murdered by a stray bullet in Valhalla park during a violent altercation between two rival gangs.

Cachalia however, has expressed that it’s early to declare the operation a failure after one month.

“The deployment has just started. We as the ministry are also working on how to monitor the implementation of the soldiers, who are not directly under the command of General Dimpane” said Cachalia.

“It is certainly premature to make the highly generalised observation that it is not working. The deployment is for an annual period” said Cachalia.