Ramaphosa: Changes within leadership at security agencies needed following July unrest

President Cyril Ramaphosa says this is necessary, following the release of a report into the July unrest that led to the deaths of more than 300 people in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. 

Ramaphosa delivered the State of the Nation Address on Thursday night. 

"The staffing of the public order policing unit of the South African Police Service will be brought to an appropriate level, with appropriate training courses in place. 

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"The ongoing damage to and theft of economic infrastructure has damaged confidence and severely constrained economic growth, investment and job creation. 

"At the same time, we need to confront the criminal gangs that invade construction sites and other business places to extort money from companies. This requires a focused and coordinated response."

He says government will move ahead with a specialised multi-disciplinary unit to address economic sabotage, extortion at construction sites and the vandalism of infrastructure. 

"We will make resources available to recruit and train an additional 12,000 new police personnel to ensure that the SAPS urgently gets the capacity it needs.

"Another area of immediate attention will be the re-establishment of community policing forums to improve relations and coordination between local police and residents of the areas they serve.

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"It is clear from the observations of the expert panel that we need to take a more inclusive approach to assessing the threats to our country’s security and determining the necessary responses.

"I am calling on all South Africans through their various formations to participate in developing our national security strategy."