Durban – Zandile Gumede, mayor of eThekwini, wants Durban to have a central military base which can be deployed quickly in crises.
Her vision is to have this force on standby to help the police, metro police and other local authorities deal with a surge in violence or natural disasters.
But her ambitious plans have drawn sharp criticism from security experts.
Gumede told the Daily News this week she had spoken to army generals who visited the City Hall on Tuesday, seeking advice on the channels to follow if she wished to have a military base with military personnel that would be visible to communities.
“I spoke to the generals and I’m now waiting for their feedback. I will definitely follow all the processes to see if we can have this military base for eThekwini.
“All these senseless killings in hostels, township violence and disasters that strike in the eThekwini area could be effectively dealt with if there were readily-available military personnel.”
Gumede said she did not aim to undermine the existing SA Police Service and metro police, but that the expertise of the soldiers, especially during disasters, could be of benefit to the eThekwini community. These soldiers could be used on the South Coast and in Kokstad, she said.
She said she was aware of existing military bases around Durban, but that the existing ones had special purposes, like guarding the Durban port, and she wanted one which would be central to the city.
Siphiwe Dlamini, head of communications for the SANDF, would not be drawn to comment.
“For now, it is a matter between the mayor and the generals.
“Policing is a police speciality and we don’t intervene in internal civilian matters, but if we get a distress call from the police, we then ask them what kind of assistance they want We provide such assistance and then we move out,” said Dlamini.
He said during disasters, municipalities sought defence assistance through the Department of Co-operative Governance and Tra- ditional Affairs.
Dr Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Crime, Justice and Politics Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, said the move would be dangerous for communities.
“We always advise against the deployment of military during internal strife. It is fine as a temporary measure, it definitely can’t be a long-term deployment. The military is not trained to deal with domestic issues and once soldiers become over-familiar with a particular community set-up, this could lead to violence between community members and the soldiers.”
Burger advised the military should move in problematic areas as a shield to the police and once the police are done, the military should also leave the area.
Mary de Haas, KwaZulu-Natal violence monitor and research fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Law, said militarisation could worsen a volatile situation.
“What a nerve to claim militarisation would assist to bring peace to Glebelands Hostel while the municipality itself bears a great deal of responsibility for the violence there because of its appalling administration of the hostels and failure to take action against violent evictions,” she said.
“Perhaps the honourable mayor should read the Public Protector’s report. I want to stress the problems in Glebelands, KwaMashu and Inchanga relate to the critical situation regarding policing in the country as a whole, in terms of intelligence-based proactive strategies to prevent crime (because intelligence operations now serve political interests) and a steep decline in detective and forensic service,” said De Haas.
The Public Protector’s report had recommended the municipality sort out the hostel’s administration and security.