Defence and Military Veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has voiced concerns about the state of the South African National Defence Force.
In reply to a parliamentary question, she said that since the 2015 Defence Review, the force’s capabilities have declined. While she was confident that it could still protect the country, an ‘intervention’ was required.
‘There are reasons to be concerned about the current state of defence capabilities,’ she said.
She added that inadequate funding was a major strategic problem for South Africa’s defence system. Arms and aerospace company Denel had to be given R1.8 billion for recapitalisation last year.
Defence expert Helmoed Römer-Heitman told News24 that South Africa needed to decide on the sort of military it wanted, and plan accordingly. He said that by better ‘optimising’ the equipment available – such as with more training for pilots and ships’ crews – the state of the force would be improved.
‘There are many good soldiers,’ he said, ‘but some simply become bored and leave the SANDF. What they need are support and funding. We are still the second biggest economy and the rest of the continent will look to us in times of crisis.’
The minister noted: ‘This decline can no longer be allowed to continue, resource allocation must be prioritised to defence, given the emergent regional threats.’