Soldiers were deployed to the streets of South Africa’s biggest city Wednesday in an effort to help police fight gang violence and illegal mining. It was the first major deployment since President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his annual speech to the nation last month that he would use the army against organized crime, which he called the greatest threat to democracy and the country’s economic development. Soldiers jumped from vehicles and entered apartment blocks as military vehicles moved through the Riverlea and Westbury suburbs of Johannesburg. Many residents of Riverlea expressed relief to see soldiers deployed to stem the violence. One resident, Pearl Hilma, told The Associated Press that she supports the crackdown “because there’s lots of gangsterism as well as gunshots every night” in the neighborhood.

Full report : South Africa deploys soldiers to the streets to tackle organized and violent crime.