“We are concerned that following a quieter weekend last weekend, to coincide with the first deployment of SANDF troops, we have seen a sharp increase in murder numbers again. What these numbers underline is that we cannot rely on the SANDF alone to help solve the problem of crime in the province.

"The police, all levels of government and the public all have a role to play in helping to reduce the scourge of crime in our city," said Western Cape premier Alan Winde.

He said the "payday weekend" was traditionally the most violent weekend of each month.

"In May, 71 murders were recorded over the payday weekend, and in June, 66. While there were still 46 murders too many this weekend, we are seeing a downward trend in this regard, which we hope to see continue in coming months.

"We saw an increased number of stabbings across the metro this week, which may be cases of interpersonal violence, and not gang-related. We know that incidents of interpersonal violence are often fuelled by alcohol. As a province, we have increased measures to reduce the harmful impact of alcohol. However, we call on citizens to play their part by using alcohol responsibly," Winde said.

It was too early to record the "real" impact of the deployment of the SANDF, "but with just a three-month window in which to stabilise the situation, we call on the police to make maximum use of the additional resources provided by the SANDF," he said.