Concerns have emerged over cooperation between the SANDF and SAPS during Operation Prosper, the military deployment aimed at tackling gang violence on the Cape Flats.

Parliament’s police and defence committees said soldiers reported frustration with coordination and intelligence-sharing during a joint oversight visit on 14 August.

The committees visited areas including Philippi East, Delft, Gugulethu, Harare and Muizenberg.

Police Committee chair Ian Cameron said soldiers felt SAPS members sometimes lacked urgency when identifying criminal strongholds, while police believed soldiers could do more within the limits of their mandate.

Voice notes make further allegations

The Cape Argus also reported on voice notes supplied by Fight Against Crime SA that were purportedly from deployed soldiers.

In one recording, a man believed to be a soldier alleged that operations focused on tuck shops and shebeens instead of major criminal figures.

Another raised concerns about the suitability of military vehicles for quick deployments.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said police could not comment on the recordings because they had not been authenticated by the SANDF. SAPS had also not been given an opportunity to assess the concerns.

The SANDF had not responded to the publication by deadline.

Parliament wants intelligence-led operations

Parliament confirmed that committee members were concerned about reports that some SAPS officers were not supplying enough intelligence to help soldiers identify gang hotspots and criminal strongholds.

The committees called for stronger information-sharing and operations aimed at gang leaders and other major figures rather than only lower-level offenders.

Joint Standing Committee on Defence chair Phiroane Phala said the key problem appeared to be coordination rather than hostility between individual police officers and soldiers.

Deployment faces pressure amid killings

The concerns come as gang violence continues to claim lives across the Western Cape.

Cape Argus reported earlier in August that more than 170 people had been murdered across the province over a two-week period.

Parliament also heard concerns about soldiers’ living conditions, inadequate basic supplies and delays in allowances during the deployment.

The committees have now called on SAPS to develop a sustainable plan for gang-affected communities once Operation Prosper ends, warning that residents cannot be left vulnerable when soldiers withdraw.