Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) patrolled the country’s streets well beyond the 21-day lockdown period.

This is contained in a letter President Cyril Ramaphosa sent to the Speaker of the National Assembly on Wednesday, a day before the lockdown, informing Members of Parliament of the deployment of SANDF members.

In it, the president discloses that 2 820 soldiers have been deployed, at a cost of R641 200 290. The president is constitutionally required to give Parliament notice of the deployment of the SANDF, including reasons for the action, the period and location of deployment, as well as the number of people who will be involved.

“Members of the SANDF will be employed in all nine provinces.

‘‘This employment is authorised in accordance with Section 210 (2) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and Section18 (1) of the Defence Act, 2002,” the president writes in the letter, which was tabled on Thursday.

— News 24