The force must be with the SANDF

There are probably few South Africans out there willing to lend an ear to the worry being expressed by Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, on our pages today, about the precipitous decline in our military capabilities.

That’s understandable, given that, for a period at the start of the coronavirus lockdowns, soldiers of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) were doing their best to emulate the thugs of banana republics as they brutally went about enforcing the disaster regulations.

Conduct like that, we would suggest, is an aberration, and should not distract us from the very real crisis facing our defence force. It has been under-funded for years – and here we are not talking about expensive “toys for boys”, we are talking basic operational capabilities. Our equipment is ailing and our soldiers, sailors and pilots are not getting enough realistic training, because there is no money. Much of that, sadly, is due to lack of money because of looting and state capture.

So what? That is a reasonable reaction in a country where there are pressing socio-economic demands for public money, ranging from health to education and housing. The military should cut back like everyone else is being asked to … so the argument runs.

Yet, there can be no progress in a country which is threatened militarily. And, make no mistake, the scenario of what is happening across our border in Mozambique – where jihadist terrorists threaten to control large swathes of the countryside – means we are far from being secure in South Africa.

No-one would have predicted trouble on our borders 20 years ago – and we cannot even dream of threats which may emerge in the next decade.

We need a well-equipped defence force, with well-trained and -paid, professional members prepared to risk their lives to defend our territory and our precious democracy.

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