CAPE TOWN - There is nothing untoward about the deployment of soldiers across parts of the country to assist in policing activities, a security analyst said on Friday.

However, Gareth Newham, from the Institute for Security Studies, said President Jacob Zuma's decision to deploy 137 soldiers across the country has taken many by surprise.

The Presidency has officially notified Parliament that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed to assist police.

Legislation requires the president to refer an order for the army to be deployed to the speaker of Parliament and the National Council of Provinces before announcing his intentions publically.

The troops will help officers during their end-of-year operations, officials said.

“It is an unusual site in a democracy; it’s not widely done in other countries who consider themselves democracies. So, it’s cause for concern. He is supposed to report to Parliament within seven days or deploy the troops and that hasn’t happened in the past. I think he’s really just responding to criticism about not informing people that this is happening," said Newham.

Members of the SANDF will be sent to various areas, including Marikana in the North West and parts of Cape Town, but not to gang flash-points in the on the Cape Flats.

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and other organisations have called for the army to be sent into areas such as Lavender Hill and Hanover Park, which were rocked by ongoing gang violence earlier this year.

The Steenberg Community Policing Forum’s Kevin Southgate is disappointed by Zuma's decision.

“When we were in a crisis situation in areas like Lavender Hill and Hanover Park, people were being killed on a daily basis; there was a genuine call from the premier for the deployment of the army," Southgate said.

Leeana van Wyk was caught in the crossfire fire between rival gangs when they clashed on Saturday afternoon. 

Another child was also wounded in the shooting.

(Edited by Tamsin Wort)