South African President Cyril Ramaphosa used last week’s Free State presidential imbizo to make public the deployment of a further 395 soldiers in the province’s goldfields, to boost efforts aimed at curbing illegal mining. Ramaphosa told people at the district development model (DDM) Presidential imbizo in Welkom “an additional” 395 SANDF personnel will be deployed to assist in dealing with various crimes in the province, including illegal mining. In a letter to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) dated 23 October, Ramaphosa authorised the nearly 900 soldiers be deployed to protect critical infrastructure and combat crime between 18 October and 31 March 2024, at a cost of R110 million.