Picture: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) requires strong political leadership, management and willpower to address its challenges.
This is the view of independent defence analyst Kobus Marais in response to lieutenant-general Ntshavheni Maphaha criticising the government for running what he termed a “Mickey Mouse” defence force.
Maphaha accused it of trying to play a “Big Brother” role in Africa, while failing to secure its own borders.
“They must be seen and perceived to take the lead in a very practical and pragmatic way,” Marais said.
“Currently, we don’t observe any mature leadership. We have not seen any significant management will or determination from the government or the Military Command Council to downsize the SANDF and curb their ambitions.”
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Given the SANDF’s size, its ageing equipment inherited from the old SA Defence Force and a staff complement of about 70 000, it was certainly not a Mickey Mouse defence force, Marais said. However, the defence budget, which is less than 0.7% of the country’s GDP, painted a different story.
“The required budget to fund the defence force’s constitutional obligation and the exaggerated appetite of the president to deploy our soldiers without essential resources, plus the yearly dwindling defence budget, is a Mickey Mouse budget for a Mickey Mouse ambition,” he said.
While acknowledging the concerning state of the SANDF, Marais said Maphaha didn’t disclose any of the responsibility and accountability he and the military council must take for the dire state the force is in.
“They are the leaders who should be honest and transparent about the true defence capabilities. They should advise the president and Cabinet accordingly and disclose all of this to parliament and to the general public,” Marais said.
If the ongoing deterioration of the country’s defence capabilities was not urgently addressed, the SANDF would be unable to defend “South Africa’s sovereignty and protect its citizens”, he warned.
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“Adversarial forces will continue to exploit our resources and systems, further alienating us from key international trading partners.”
Department of defence spokesperson Onicca Kwakwa referred The Citizen’s questions to SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini, who said the defence force was unable to comment on the issue yet.
“We will conduct internal consultations to understand the issue and the statement made by lieutenant-general Maphaha. We are waiting for the chief of staff, who is still in a meeting.”
Pikkie Greeff, national secretary of the SA National Defence Union, agreed the SANDF’s capabilities were inadequate.
“We are in serious trouble. If senior leaders are acknowledging this, it’s clear that the issue lies with the politicians, not the soldiers. The government has brought the defence force to its knees by controlling the budget, misallocating funds and treating the military as a stepchild of public service.”
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Greeff suggested that Maphaha spoke out of frustration, as his concerns were valid.
“I am aware of the challenges he faces – shortages of ambulances, medical staff and equipment, as well as military clinics that have had to close or reduce hours. Procurement issues mean soldiers and their families often struggle to access essential medication. His frustrations are entirely justified.”
Greeff pointed out a contradiction between Maphaha’s statements and the official stance of SANDF chief and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga during a recent parliamentary briefing on the deaths and injuries of South African soldiers in Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The chief and the minister claim everything is fine, while the surgeon-general presents a more honest picture of the defence force’s condition,” he said.
“There is a reluctance to admit the severity of the situation, with constant denial and efforts to downplay the reality. Much of this stems from embarrassment over what has been allowed to happen.”
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