Army not a police force, say MPs, vets
MPs have questioned the wisdom of Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s plans to deploy the army to help fight crime.
Members of the National Assembly’s committee on defence and military veterans said they were not convinced that “crime prevention” was an appropriate role for the defence force. MPs also expressed concern about having to adopt the defence budget this week without a briefing by either new Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu or the SADF, despite repeated requests.
In a “provisional” report on the defence budget’s priorities, the committee states that it “is of the opinion that the SANDF could greatly contribute to ensuring the safety and security of South Africans, rather than merely focusing on crime prevention”. Committee members told Independent Newspapers they were taken aback by Mthethwa’s recent announcement that the army could be used to help cash-in-transit security, as it was the president’s job to deploy the defence force. Sisulu has yet to respond to Mthethwa’s proposal.
The SANDF already supports the police with border control and some internal operations.
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25 Juin 2009 à 12:31 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
