Defence force commander-in-chief, President Cyril Ramaphosa, has said that 10 000 soldiers will remain in South Africa’s streets until mid-September, in the wake of the recent violent civil unrest.
In a letter to National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo, dated August 10, President Ramaphosa said that the deployment will come at a cost of about R255 million.
Ramaphosa initially deployed 25 000 soldiers from July 12 to August 12. The extended deployment – albeit at less than half the original number – came into effect from August 14 and will continue until September 13.
According to the president, the soldiers will work in accordance with the police “in prevention and combating of crime and preservation of law and order” across the country.
Ramaphosa wrote that: “The expenditure expected to be incurred for this extended employment is R254,914,500.”
Sources: MSN
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