New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- South Africa's president said Thursday that the country would send its troops into communities to help police fight the scourge of illegal mining and gang violence in its two provinces with the two biggest cities.

According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, "organized crime is now the most immediate threat to our democracy," endangering both economic stability and public safety, particularly in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

"Children here in the Western Cape are caught in the crossfire of gang wars. People are chased out of their homes by illegal miners in Gauteng," he told Parliament in his annual State of the Union address. As a result, "I will be deploying the South African National Defence Force to su...