Mapisa-Nqakula assures army won’t ‘skiet en donner’
Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has given an assurance that the army won’t resort to “skiet en donner” tactics during the national lockdown.
Mapisa-Nqakula addressed the media on Wednesday at a briefing by the justice and crime prevention security cluster in Tshwane.
READ: Limited hours for taxi’s to operate during lockdown
Mapisa-Nqakula said deploying the army is not the government flexing its muscles.
"Therefore it means that extraordinary decisions have to be taken to address extraordinary circumstances.
"The reality is that it's not about being spiteful, not about the use of excessive power, not about demonstrating how powerful the state is. It really is about protecting ourselves from this virus.”
Mapisa-Nqakula also denied reports that the troops have already been deployed.
"There's a matter here of fake videos and I've said the president directed that on Thursday midnight there will be a lockdown. For now, we still have about 24 hours before that time so there is no lockdown. There is no deployment of soldiers currently in the streets of South Africa.
"When you have seen them, you have seen them in moving, in transit. ladies and gentlemen you have not seen the deployment of the South African National Defence Force, yet.”
She said the defence force will use physical measures only when necessary.
"They have not been trained in crowd control that is why most of the time it is always the last we do.
"This thing that members of the defence who kick, skiet and donner and what what. It will be skiet and donner when circumstances determine that. Our soldiers understand the circumstances which they are now being deployed.”
Mapisa-Nqakula says the defence force will play a supporting role to the police during the lockdown.