“It is clear that the current situation has become an emergency and is beyond the capacity of the SAPS (South African Police Service) to control,” Western Cape Premier Helen Zille wrote to Zuma.
“They need the support of the SANDF (South African National Defence Force) to restore order in these suburbs.”
In a letter sent Monday, Zille said gang violence had continued despite boosted police numbers and asked Zuma to temporarily send the army into two suburbs where 17 people, many caught in cross-fire, had been killed.
“There has been a ‘spike’ in gang violence in Cape Town in recent months during which at least 23 people, including seven children, have died,” she said.
The use of soldiers in a December programme had seen improved safety, added Zille who leads the only opposition-controlled province in the country.
Gangs have long been a feature in Cape Town, particularly in the outlying Cape Flats where mixed race residents were forced to live during apartheid.
Turf wars over drugs have aggravated the violenc