South African National Defence Force (SANDF) officers purportedly planning a meeting to discuss ‘matters currently affecting the ruling party’ have been warned against getting involved in politics.
The SANDF said in a statement: ‘It has come to the attention of the chief of the South African National Defence Force, General Solly Shoke, that there is planning for a meeting where various serving senior military members have been or will be invited to attend to discuss matters currently affecting the ruling party in the country.
‘General Shoke would like to state categorically without any contradiction and in no uncertain terms that no serving member of the South African National Defence Force will be or has been authorised to attend such purported meeting to discuss petty party-political matters.’
The statement added that the SANDF ‘remains an organisation which is above politics serving the sovereign security interests of the Republic as mandated by the Constitution’.
The relationship between the military and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) was in the spotlight recently when party secretary general Ace Magashule travelled in a SANDF jet for inter-party talks with the ruling Zanu-PF in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
Public outrage prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to demand a report on the details of the trip, and Magashule to issue a statement saying: ‘In our quest to achieve this mission, we travelled in an unusual manner and profusely humble ourselves where we went wrong during the lockdown and will reimburse the government for the costs incurred on behalf of our delegation.’
IOL reported that it had been confirmed that Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was probing the use of the SANDF jet by the ANC officials.