Overview
- South African soldiers, which began deploying Wednesday, joined police in Mitchells Plain and Beacon Valley for street patrols and targeted house searches for firearms.
- Police reported two men killed in a 5 am shooting in Hanover Park on Wednesday, with a separate pre-dawn attack wounding a 27-year-old in nearby Mitchells Plain.
- The year-long Operation Prosper fields about 2,200 SANDF members in five provinces to back SAPS against gangs, extortion, taxi conflicts, illegal guns and illicit mining.
- The plan is estimated to cost R823 million through 31 March 2027 and faces scrutiny over command, results and rights safeguards even as officials stress respectful conduct.
- In the next phase, Eastern Cape police said troops completed orientation in Gqeberha on Thursday and will start supporting operations in Nelson Mandela Bay and Sarah Baartman on Friday.