Defence Minister Angie Motshekga as a matter of urgency needs to secure additional funding to match the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF’s) mandate, fix governance and supply chain management issues, and commission a new Defence Review in order to reform the armed forces.
This is according to Rise Mzansi’s leader Songezo Zibi. Speaking to defenceWeb, he said Motshekga likely needs to secure support for an overhaul of the SANDF’s leadership. “The poor governance outcomes reflect the leadership, yet the generals do not endure the same scrutiny and pressure as heads of department elsewhere.”
Zibi believes a new Defence Review is needed, with clarity of mandate, and then long-term funding as well as a focus on personnel renewal, as “our infantry ranks are too old for their rank and battlefield roles.” In addition, the SANDF needs to update and refurbish existing systems while planning for new acquisitions in the medium term, and establish a cyber warfare capability.
Getting the SANDF back on the right track also includes looking at foreign missions. “We must review our national expectation of the defence force as a diplomatic instrument and reduce commitments if we cannot meet them. That also means we need to reassess our diplomatic priorities,” Zibi said.
One commitment that needs to be re-examined is South Africa’s contribution to the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).
“Since we do not have adequate resources for our armed forces on this mission, we must bring them home or we are going to get our people hurt,” Zibi maintains. “I also do not think we ever had a plan for when and how we must pull out of this mission. It has become a permanent mission, which was never supposed to be the case.” He believes more South African soldiers will continue to die in the Democratic Republic of Congo until the mission is adequately resourced.
As for the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), the mission was “necessary but again we have no resources. Perhaps a different strategy more aligned to the resources allocated is necessary.”
Although the SANDF’s leadership cannot really refuse a policy instruction within the constitution and therefore cannot refuse additional commitments, “they can, however, speak up a bit more when the opportunity arises – such as when they appear in parliament,” Zibi said.
As a lack of funding is a major issue, one solution is to shrink the SANDF to a border guard in line with its current funding, but Zibi believes this is a risky option. “We need a proper defence force” and “a bigger budget just to survive at this point,” he maintains.
Zibi has pledged to work closely with other members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) to ensure that “the little resources the armed forces get, are put to good and efficient use. The oversight and working together are urgent because in the armed forces, failure at any level can cost lives.”
Zibi went on to say the underfunding of the SANDF betrays the mandate given to the SANDF. “We need to be bold and increase funding drastically, and do that on the back of a strategic review. I am just not comfortable with the long process of white and green papers. This should be accelerated because I do not think we have the luxury of time. If we do not drastically increase funding, then let us narrow the mandate similarly and live with the consequences. But I do not think we can afford to live with those consequences.”
As for the defence industry, Zibi believes it is extremely important both as a strategic lever for South Africa’s own operational needs as well as technological and industrial advancement. “It is also a potentially lucrative export industry, but that must be supported by a more pragmatic approach to geopolitics.”
“I do not think it is possible to build a world class defence industry when the country’s armed forces aren’t able to secure what gets produced here. A successful military industrial complex needs a proper defence force with a clear mandate,” he concluded.
