National
Xenophobia: 338 soldiers deployed at a cost of R4m─── 07:54 Sat, 25 Apr 2015
Johannesburg - A total of 338 soldiers, expecting to cost just over R4m, have been deployed to help police following a spate of attacks on foreign nationals, the presidency said on Friday.
According to a statement President Jacob Zuma told Parliament that he has deployed 338 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist the police to maintain law and order in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and any other areas as the need arises.
"This employment is authorised in accordance with the provisions of section 201(2)(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and is for the period April 21 2015 to June 30 2015," spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement.
The expenditure expected to be incurred for the troops was R4 242 448, he said.
On Tuesday, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced that troops would be sent to the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg where a Mozambican national, Emmanuel Sithole had been stabbed and killed at the weekend.
At the time, she said the SANDF would wait until the police felt they needed their help, starting in Alexandra.
Wherever the police did an assessment and required more help from the army, the SANDF would deploy more soldiers, she said.
Seven people have been killed during the violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in the past weeks.
The police and army raided the Jeppestown hostel on Tuesday night, searching for weapons. Eleven people were arrested.
On Wednesday, a hostel in Alexandra was raided and two people were arrested.
