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President Jacob Zuma will not deploy soldiers to areas affected by gang violence in the Western Cape.
The presidency said on Wednesday that Zuma had opted for more intensive action by the police and long-term interventions by social and economic clusters of government.
In July, Western Cape premier Helen Zille asked president Zuma to send troops to curtail gang violence which claimed at least 23 lives.
Meanwhile, Zille and Cape Town mayor, Patricia de Lille, have urged president Zuma to condemn recent service delivery protests.
They also want Zuma to condemn announcements by the ANC Youth Leauge that they will make the city and the province ungovernable if certain demands are not met.