South African President Cyril Ramaphosa approved the deployment of 2,200 military personnel to the provinces of the Western Cape, Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape to tackle violent crime and illegal mining, Reuters reported on March 13. The military deployment is currently scheduled to last from March 1 until the end of March 2027 at a cost of 823 million rand ($49 million), with Ramaphosa stressing that the deployment would not be permanent but could be extended if deemed necessary.

Ramaphosa announced in February 2026 the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to tackle crime and illegal mining. Meanwhile, South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has pledged that the country's debt-to-GDP ratio would peak in fiscal year 2025-26 before slowly declining thereafter.