Mbalula said the recent increase in gang activity in the Western Cape and Gauteng was a huge concern.
However, Gareth Newham, head of justice and violence prevention at the Institute of Security Studies, said the SANDF support would not address "fundamental problems that cause crime in these areas".
"You are not going to see the whole of the Western Cape or Gauteng becoming safe.
"In the weeks after the operation you may find that the crime in that particular area might decline temporarily.
"But certainly the military is not going to make the whole province safer or change the factors contributing to crime.
"It is a high-visibility operation that disrupts criminal activity in the area, allowing the police to confiscate firearms and make arrests in dangerous areas," Newham said.
In the past, the army has been called on to support the police.
One recent event was Operation Fiela, which was launched after a spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Newham said the best way to deal with crime was to improve police performance.
"We have had an increase in budget but deterioration in police performance.
"This has provided space for an increase in organised crime," he said.
Guy Martin, editor of defenceweb.co.za, said that soldiers were not trained in policing.
"What they can do is to provide support to the police," Martin said.