Johannesburg - The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been deployed to safeguard a number of Eskom power stations around the country from April 7 to October 17, 2023.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 880 members of the SANDF.
According to the Presidency, Ramaphosa informed the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Amos Masondo, in writing of the employment of SANDF personnel for service in cooperation with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the prevention and combating of crime and the maintenance and preservation of law and order in the Republic of South Africa under Operation Prosper.
‘’Members of the SANDF employed will assist the South African Police Service (SAPS) in protecting Eskom power stations around the country where sabotage, theft, and other crimes may threaten the functioning of power stations and the supply of electricity.
Previously, 2 700 members of the SANDF were employed to assist the SAPS in protecting Eskom power stations under Operation Prosper from March 17 to April 17, 2023.’’
‘’The current employment is authorised in accordance with the provisions of Section 201(2)(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996,’’ read the statement.
According to a SANDF statement, Operation Prosper's primary focus was to protect national key points, points under threat as per prevailing intelligence or information on hand, response to situations that go beyond the control of the law enforcement agencies in support of the police.
‘’It must be noted that the SANDF gets requested from time to time to assist the SAPS in crime prevention operations. This is executed in line with one of the government's outcomes of making sure that all South Africans are and feel safe.
It is prudent to take note that the SANDF is governed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The deployment is in terms of Section 201(2)(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, read with Section 19 of the Defence Act (Act 42 of 2002).’’
‘’The SANDF force elements will be deployed as may be required by the PROVJOINTS and NATJOINTS for the duration of the deployment period,’’ added the statement.
The Star