SANDF wounds are self-inflicted

Following the extraordinary outburst by a top military general that our politicians have turned the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) into a “Mickey Mouse” operation, it was to be expected that the ANC would try to shoot the messenger.

Cynics might say: Good luck trying to shoot anything because there’s not enough money in the budget to buy ammunition…

ANC MP Dakota Legoete pushed back against the comments, made by SANDF Surgeon-General Ntshavheni Peter Maphaha.

Legoete, who chairs parliament’s portfolio committee on defence and military veterans, suggested that Maphaha may have a limited time left in uniform: “If a general speaks like this, he is either naive, incompetent or does not know his work.

“We need to get his competency level. We need to understand how he qualified to be a general if he does not know his responsibility.”

Speaking out of turn would obviously anger an organisation which believes in discussing everything behind closed doors and not rocking any boats.

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Maphaha may be fired soon. But he stated the obvious. The death of 14 soldiers in the ill-starred peace mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at the hands of M23 rebels is the latest sign that the under-resourced SANDF is out of its depth.

Politicians have allowed the once formidable military to be almost run into the ground.

Expensive systems, like fighter aircraft, frigates and submarines, are seldom in operation because there is no money for maintenance, or even fuel.

The SANDF is overstocked with generals and understaffed in young, fit, well-trained combat soldiers.

Corruption is rife – from the scandal of the Covid miracle drug bought from Cuba to the appearance of a former defence minister on graft allegations.

The SANDF is gravely wounded and it has not been an outside enemy that inflicted the damage.

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