South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has condemned the deployment of the military to violence-hit Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

In a statement issued shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address, the EFF called "for political intervention in widespread uprisings”.

The party said the deployment of military to the streets is not a solution to the civil unrest and that it will not be part of any decision to legitimise the deployment of the army.

The EFF has said its lawyers will write a letter to the president to seek for “the legal basis for the deployment of soldiers".

It added that it will take “appropriate action” if the president fails to respond to the letter in 12 hours.