People have been begging and pleading for it for years, now it looks like their prayers might finally be answered.
This week shoot-from-the-lip Police Minister Fikile Mbalula requested that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) help cops fight crime in the Western Cape and Gauteng.
REINFORCEMENTS: Army can be permanent on the Cape Flats
So why the sudden drastic action?
The minister personally came to the Cape a fortnight ago following the shocking Marikana massacre in Philippi, in which 11 lives were lost in a weekend killing spree.
Was that perhaps the final straw?
Or was it the three officers who were wounded in a shootout with Hanover Park gangsters last weekend?
God knows, enough men in blue have been gunned and robbed of their firearms this year.
The cynics out there would like to believe it’s just a ploy to divert attention from Mbalula’s controversial R680 000 trip to Dubai last year.
Whatever the reasons, the issue is officially on the table and the army is on standby.
It is now up to the president to authorise the request.
So what can we expect Jacob Zuma to do?
It’s not the first time people have called for military intervention.
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has for years been asking for the army’s help.
But let’s face it, because she is an opposition DA leader, her request was taken with more than a pinch of salt.
This time, however, the call is coming from one of Zuma’s staunchest ANC allies.
Will JZ just shoot down Razzle Dazzle’s request with disdain?
And what would that do for party unity? Tricky one, hey?
Party politics aside, it’s not easy for any president to authorise military action in civilian matters.
It signals to the nation and to the international community that we are a country in crisis; a failed state.
And that’s not good for our reputation, nor for the economy.
Still, the fact of the matter is there is a crime crisis in this country.
It’s dangerously out of control.
Deploying the army in gangland and crime hotspots is not a bad idea, it can only be a good thing.
Whenever there has been an army presence, like in Operation Fiela on the Cape Flats in 2015, there was a significant drop in crime and gang violence.
But once the troops pull out, communities say it’s business as usual again for the skollies.
It’s clear the army is not a long-term solution.
So why not make it a permanent?
What’s that you say? Soldiers are trained to shoot to kill? They don’t specialise in community policing and making arrests?
Well, then give them the training!
Our borders are not under attack.
So what is the purpose of the SANDF - apart from peace-keeping missions in other African countries?
How about a peace-keeping mission in South Africa?
Our real war is within. The war against crime is a top priority and government must have the will to treat it as such.