In the wake of presentations by senior defence and military academics, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) is on record as being “concerned about the deteriorating state of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF)”.
Committee chair Dakota Legoete, in a statement after last week’s meeting, went further, saying the SANDF mandate was “misaligned” with its budget which could potentially lead to its collapse.
Another who was scathing was Democratic Alliance (DA) defence and military veterans spokesman, Chris Hattingh.
He wants Minister Angie Motshekga’s “promised report on critical challenges facing the SANDF” to be tabled at the earliest opportunity. This, according to him, is in the light of her committing to deliver it two weeks ago but still not done, which he sees as essential to addressing “glaring failures” in the national defence force.
After hearing academics from the Stellenbosch University Faculty of Military Science in the form of SIGLA (Security Institute for Governance and Leadership) and CEMIS (Centre for Military Studies), Hattingh said “the naked truth about the shocking state of the SANDF was emphasised” adding “alarm bells were raised” as regards “potential total collapse”.
As examples he referred to what doctors Moses Khanyile (CEMIS) and Evert Jordaan (Military Science Faculty, Department of Strategic Studies) told the PCDMV.
Hattingh’s statement has Khanyile confirming the SANDF is in a state of collapse. Crumbling maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, loss of close air support, crippling of the SA Navy (SAN) and the virtual disappearance of helicopter and logistic air support were named by the CEMIS director. His statement is supportive of Khanyile’s call for the National Security Council to “urgently refocus on the plight of the SANDF”.
Jordaan, according to the Hattingh statement, outlined a decline in defence oversight since the 1999 Arms Deal. This has continued through successive administrations “culminating in a culture of non-accountability in the Department of Defence (DoD) and the SANDF”.
Another point raised by the academics in the PCDMV meeting was the increased use of the SANDF domestically noting it was good in some instances with the rider that “prolonged deployments may become problematic”.
Also concerning to the PCDMV, in executing its oversight function properly, is that “Secretary for Defence” [acting Defence Secretary, Thobekile Gamede] has no operational authority while being accountable for assets in terms of the Public Finance Management Act. “This,” according to Legoete, “has implications for consequence management”.
