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Ramaphosa Must Properly Inform Parliament About SANDF Deployments

Statement by Nicholas Gotsell MP – DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is demanding urgent clarity from the President as to why the letters of employment for the SANDF deployments announced during the State of the Nation Address, particularly those relating to gang violence in Gauteng, the Western Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay, have still not been tabled before the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD).

Whilst the DA welcomes the short-term deployment, to support the SAPS, we are concerned by the apparent lack of constitutional compliance.

Instead, Parliament only on Monday received a letter authorising a SANDF deployment to combat illegal mining in Gauteng under Operation Prosper, despite the fact that the deployment began on 30 January 2026 – and will end on 30 April.

This means Parliament was informed 38 days after troops were promised to be deployed. Whilst the DA welcomes the deployment, it is concerned by the apparent lack of constitutional compliance – particularly when R80 million is made available for a deployment that is almost at its end.

Section 201 of the Constitution requires the President to inform Parliament promptly when the SANDF is employed so that Parliament can exercise oversight.

When notification occurs more than a month after the fact, Parliament’s ability to meaningfully exercise its oversight powers is significantly undermined.

The decision to employ the SANDF should already have been informed by consultations with SAPS, the SANDF Chief and relevant national security structures. Yet the absence of the employment letters for the gang-related deployments, combined with the clear lack of preparedness displayed by the Department of Defence and SAPS during last week’s Joint Standing Committee meetings, raises serious concerns about the President’s original announcement.

These concerns are compounded by the Department of Defence’s financial position.

During last week’s committee meeting, the Secretary for Defence confirmed that the Department does not currently have the funds required for the newly announced deployments, which are estimated to cost R823 million.

This comes while the Department has still failed to account to Parliament for how it spent R813 million allocated for troop allowances above its 2024/25 budget.

The DA therefore calls on the President to urgently table the employment letters for the gang-related deployments so that the Joint Standing Committee on Defence can properly interrogate them.

Parliament is constitutionally bound to exercise oversight over military deployments by the President.

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