More money not the answer to SANDF’s problems
26 November 2020
The Democratic Alliance (DA) takes note of the worrying report that the South African Defence Force’s (SANDF) capabilities and prime mission equipment have deteriorated and the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, NosiviweMapisa-Nqakula’s claims that the only solution to the problem is to increase her budget.
The situation at SANDF is such that there is an increasing risk that it won’t be able to protect the country’s integrity. At the moment, the South African fleet has almost no means to protect our maritime territory and resources, and the air force also lacks the resources to assist in maritime patrolling and exploring.
The Minister’s insistence that the only solution to this problem is throwing money at it, shows simple ignorance of the ANC government’s failed economic policy over the past years. There is simply no more money to bail SANDF out, and the little money there is, is being wasted on pet projects like the South African Airways (SAA).
Instead of fighting National Treasury for more money, the Minister should take the decisive executive, political decision to restructure SANDF into a smaller, more streamlined and modern force that will have less personnel that will be better equipped to deal with South Africa’s defense requirements.