Senior SANDF member slams politicians for creating ‘Mickey Mouse’ army

A senior member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has described the country’s borders as being “unprotected” and “porous”.

Lieutenant-General Ntshavheni Maphaha told mourners at a funeral of a solider in the Free State on Sunday that South African politicians should be concerned about the safety of the country.

Maphaha’s comments come after 14 South African soldiers were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). SANDF troops are still deployed on a peacekeeping mission in the DRC, which is meant to prevent the M23 rebels from destabilising the southern part of the continent.

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SANDF officer laments SA’s open borders

Maphaha, who is the SANDF surgeon-general, criticised the government for wanting to play a big brother role in Africa but failing to secure its own borders.

“We are not protected. Our borders are porous and they are porous because you as politicians have decided that you want a Mickey Mouse defence force,” he said.

“If we are going to play big brother in Africa, what we give to the defence force should symbolise that. I am saying to the politicians, next time you sit and debate, think of whether you are protected or not,” he said.

Illegal foreigners accessing government services

He said South Africa’s resources are strained because of illegal foreigners who are in the country and benefit from services which should be enjoyed by locals.

“That grant that you are giving to the people out there, the education of your children and everything else will not materialise if you are not protected,” he said.

Maphaha said the country should take pride in its national security and display its position as a global force on the continent.

“Constitutionally, the South African National Defence Force is mandated to protect and defend the country. Any home displays its worth or its character by the level of security it places around it.”

South Africa’s peacekeeping mission in DRC

Meanwhile, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga addressed mourners at the funeral of rifleman Richard Chokwe, who also died in the DRC.

She reiterated that Chokwe and his colleagues had not died for mineral interests of international business players.

She classified the SANDF’s presence in the DRC as a peacekeeping mission sanctioned by the South African Development Communities (SADC).

“Over the years, our contributions to peacekeeping missions around the world have paved the way for democratic processes to prevail, where even in some country’s elections were held for the very first time,” she said.

Motshekga said the government is committed to ensuring that South African soldiers are well-resourced and prepared for any mission.

“We commit to ensure that the soldiers have the resources required to fulfil their missions effectively and this includes training adequate resources and access to overall health services,” she said.

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