South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the option of deploying the national defence force to areas affected by gang violence remains on the table, but stressed that any such move must be carefully considered given that soldiers are trained to “shoot to kill” rather than perform policing duties.

Speaking after a meeting of the African National Congress’s national executive committee, Ramaphosa said the military does not investigate crimes in the same way as police, but instead treats suspects as enemies, raising serious concerns when operating in civilian environments.

He said any potential deployment of the army should complement the work of the police, rather than replace it, amid growing debate over how best to address organised crime and violence in parts of the country.