Department of Defence website up again but full of glitches

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Following a six-month hiatus, the Department of Defence (DoD) website is again up but is riddled with glitches and not particularly well populated with information.

The site, which was previously not accessible apparently due to contractual disagreements with service providers, has a new look.

Featured in photos, but not yet with the appropriate career and personal information, are Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula; her deputy Thabang Makwetla; Secretary of (sic) Defence Gladys Sonto Kudjoe and outgoing SANDF Chief, General Solly Shoke.

There is currently no information in the DoD and Defence Secretariat portals with the SANDF portal listing the four services – SA Air Force, SA Army, SA Military Health and SA Navy. None currently show information on equipment, formations, units, bases or commanders.

Previously separate service websites (e.g. army.mil.za and navy.mil.za) redirect to the home page of the DoD website.

The only portal currently populated is “Documents” where the long delayed 2019/20 annual report resides along with the report of the Ministerial SEA (sexual abuse and exploitation) task team, released earlier this month (March) to coincide with International Women’s Day.

Other portals listed and presently empty are publications (presumably SA Soldier), media, tenders and gallery.  Six quick links are listed with just one – Defence Reserves – working and taking the reader to single page listing contact details for secretary. With the official DoD site having been down for so long, the Reserve Force used the Gunners’ site to publish its Reserve Force Volunteer publication.

SA Soldier magazine is published via the SANDF LinkedIn page while official news can be found on SANDF Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.