Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

THE police and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) must work together to avoid a repeat of the xenophobic violence that took place in May.

This relationship will also determine the effectiveness of the war against crime, according to a report by a researcher at the University of Pretoria.

George Kruys,, a researcher at the university’s Institute for Strategic Studies, has penned a report titled “The role of the military in internal security”, and in it he argues that South Africa’s rising crime rates can be tackled by bringing the SAPS and SANDF closer together.

The two organisations worked together earlier this year when xenophobic violence exploded in parts of the country. President Thabo Mbeki authorised the deployment of the SANDF to “assist the police in the maintenance of law and order”, Kruys said in the report.

Kruys said in his report that 694 police members had been murdered in the line of duty over the past five years.

“The reason for police inefficiency evidently lies in their lack of suitable personnel and equipment for the task. The pressing need is for the SANDF to operate internally. Conditions in South Africa show that many elements of a restless, volatile and lawless society exist in the country.”

He said that although the police needed help in combating internal security issues, the SANDF was not currently in a position to offer the necessary support.

Kruys said that the SANDF lacks training, has a poor relationship with the police and is required by its mandate to focus entirely on external security.

“SANDF co-operation with the police is, and always has been fraught with difficulties because of the massive difference in the ways in which the two forces operate.

“Military/police co-operation must be sorted out while there is time to establish and practise procedures calmly and the SANDF must obtain the required equipment to carry out internal security tasks effectively.”

l A copy of the report can be obtained by contacting the Institute for Strategic Studies via e-mail on wilma.martin@up.ac.za