Will sending in the army actually reduce gangsterism and drug abuse?
That is the central question in this week’s Making Sense, as Gareth Edwards speaks to Sylvester Saul from Touch One Soul Foundation about what is really happening inside South Africa’s gang- and drug-affected communities.
What begins as a conversation about military deployment quickly opens into something deeper. Sylvester explains that substance abuse is not just one part of the problem. It is often the force driving theft, violence, family breakdown and the conditions that allow gangsterism to thrive. From his experience running recovery homes, he argues that force has a role, but force alone cannot do the work of healing, trust-building and recovery.
The episode also explores why temporary deployments can raise hope and then deepen disappointment, why police and community organisations need to work together more closely, and why the real root of the crisis often sits inside trauma, poverty, silence and dependence.
This is not only a conversation about security. It is a conversation about what South Africa gets wrong when it mistakes visibility for change, and what it might look like to build something that actually lasts.
Catch up on all Making Sense episodes here: https://www.enca.com/making-sense-south-africas-economic-pulse-budget-2026
