The Department of Defence has clarified the public concerns regarding the presence of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members during the #JusticeForCwecwe march in Matatiele, Eastern Cape, on Tuesday.
The department said that there was no official deployment of soldiers for the march organised to demand justice for a seven-year-old child known as Cwecwe at a school in the area.
SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini stated on Wednesday that despite reports suggesting the military's involvement in monitoring the protest, the soldiers in the vicinity were solely conducting border safeguarding duties.
“We would like to express sincere regret regarding the incident where our soldiers were seen during the march against gender-based violence in Matatiele,” Dlamini said.
He made the comment after widespread outrage and condemnation of the presence of the SANDF assisting police at the march to demand justice after the alleged rape.
Dlamini said the defence force was a gender sensitive organisation and supported gender programmes.
“We are cognisant of the unacceptable high levels of gender-based violence, and the prevalence of violence against women and children, and support any intervention by institutions and citizens aimed at dealing with violence against our women and children,” he said.
The Joint Standing Committee on Defence expressed its concerns regarding a video that appeared to show SANDF soldiers assisting the police.
The committee has now called for an urgent report from both Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga and General Rudzani Maphwanya, the chief of the SANDF, to clarify the circumstances surrounding the military's involvement.
Committee co-chairperson Malusi Gigaba highlighted the legal implications of the alleged deployment, referring to Section 18 of the Defence Act, which necessitates that Parliament be promptly informed of any internal employment of SANDF members by the minister or the president.
“This has not been done, hence the demand for an urgent report,” Gigaba said.
Another committee co-chairperson Phiroane Phala said the protest march did not represent any extraordinary occurrence nor was there a threat to life.
“The report by the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of the SANDF must include reasons for the employment (if there was one), why Parliament was not informed and the cost associated with the employment,” Phala said.
Echoing these sentiments, the EFF has written a letter to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, questioning whether the president formally communicated the deployment of the SANDF to bolster police efforts during the protest.
The party’s chief whip Nontando Nolutshungu said the Constitution prescribed that when the defence was deployed, the president must inform Parliament promptly and give reasons for the employment of the soldiers, the location of the deployment, the number deployed, and the period of the deployment.
“This is a matter of national interest and constitutional compliance, and we trust that it will be treated with the urgency and seriousness it deserves,” Nolutshungu said in her letter.
The GOOD Party expressed its dismay at the situation, highlighting that peaceful protests are a constitutional right for South Africans and asserted that there was no apparent threat that warranted military presence.
“The Department of Defence owes the public a clear explanation regarding the legality and necessity of this deployment,” secretary-general Brett Herron said.
Herron also said defence experts have raised concerns about the SANDF’s severe underfunding and lack of resources.
The costs of Operation Prosper, which concluded in March 2025, ran into the millions.
“It is critical that the government carefully considers the necessity and impact of deploying the SANDF in domestic situations,” he said.