Faizel Patel – 12/07/2021

The Presidency has announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Monday at 8pm government’s response to persistent public violence in parts of the country.

The presidency says Ramaphosa’s address follows  the announcement by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) that it has started preparing for soldier deployment to help police in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal deal with riots.

The request entails SANDF support for police operations in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Ramaphosa on Sunday called for calm  warning criminal elements that they will face the full might of law as lawlessness is brought to an end and economic activity is allowed to continue.

“The majority of South Africans do not and should not tolerate violence, the destruction of property and the endangering of livelihoods. People are urged to report criminals by sharing videos of criminal activity with the police.”

The presidency says people are also asked to pay attention to what they post on social media and to be aware that the sharing of fake news or content that incites violence and looting is a crime.