President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday ordered the deployment of 2,700 soldiers to be extended as calls mount for effective security at state institutions.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) are assisting the police in preventing crime and enforcing law and order within the country.
This comes after the Constitutional Court was vandalized by a man armed with a hammer just days after a fire destroyed much of the parliamentary precinct.
President Ramaphosa has written to the presiding officers of Parliament for the authorization of 2,700 soldiers to remain on the ground until March, in the wake of recent assaults on national key points.
Spokesperson for Parliament Moloto Mothapo said: “The presiding officers of Parliament, led by the Speaker of the National Assembly and the chairperson of the NCOP, have received correspondence from the president on the authorization of the 2,700 members of the SANDF for an operation with the SAPS.”
There are concerns that South Africa’s key institutions may be under attack.
Within a week, buildings symbolic to South Africa’s democracy were targeted with the parliamentary precinct going up in flames while the Constitutional Court was vandalized.
The defence force was also deployed in July last year in response to widespread looting and violence in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
-EWN
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