South Africa deploys army to enforce lockdown

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deploy more than 70,000 members of the South African National Defence Force to join 2,300 troops already patrolling the country’s street in a bid to effectively enforce one of the strictest physical lockdowns on the continent. It is one of the largest army deployments in the country’s history. It is a stick to Ramaphosa’s carrot as he pledged 500 billion rand ($26 billion) as part of a special coronavirus budget on Tuesday to assist the country’s flailing economy and feed citizens, as millions struggle to cope with weeks of lockdown.