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UDM leader Bantu Holomisa says the SANDF is underfunded and underprepared for foreign deployments and disaster response.
A former defence minister once revealed that 85% of the SA Air Force’s aircraft are out of action due to age, a lack of spares or budget constraints. Picture: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo
Chronic underfunding or defunding of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the impact of state capture on defence and problematic SANDF deployments on foreign peacekeeping missions are a concern.
This is the view of United Democratic Movement leader and Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa, who was reporting back to his party this week.
Cabinet and Treasury accused of ignoring urgent funding needs
Holomisa criticised the lack of parliament, Cabinet and National Treasury support to ensure adequate protection of the country.
He said even President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive in 2023 to increase defence funding from 0.57% to 1.5% of the gross domestic product was not adhered to and the Cabinet “reduced these urgent calls to mere rhetoric, and National Treasury failed to allocate the necessary funds”.
“Parliament and the government of national unity must establish a structured, accountable process to implement resolutions, especially those related to defence and oversight bodies such as Scopa [standing committee on public accounts],” he said.
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DRC deployment exposes faults in ‘adequacy of planning processes’
Holomisa said the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) debacle involving SANDF members, some of whom were killed in a battle with M23 rebels, was an incident that haunted the department.
The problem raised concerns about the overall capacity, preparedness and logistical readiness of the force to effectively carry out its continental peacekeeping and combat obligations.
“It brought into question the adequacy of our planning processes, resource allocation and strategic command structures in high-risk deployments,” he said.
“The DRC episode served as a stark reminder of the urgent need to review and strengthen our defence capabilities.”
Climate disasters highlight emergency response limitations
Holomisa raised climate change as a hindrance to the SANDF’s work as it tested its capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to disaster relief operations.
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A case in point was the recent devastating floods in the Eastern Cape which claimed more than 100 lives.
He said despite the scale of the disaster, only one Oryx helicopter was deployed to conduct rescue and relief efforts and that happened days after the disaster had occurred.
This highlighted the severe limitations in the force’s aerial response capabilities during emergencies.
‘Urgent need to improve’
“This highlights the urgent need to improve SANDF’s disaster response readiness in alignment with the growing frequency and intensity of climate-related events,” Holomisa said.
He said the department also held strategic meetings with defence state-owned enterprises such as Armscor and Denel, the defence secretariat and compliance briefings by the auditor-general and oversight meetings with the portfolio committee on defence and military veterans.
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