Political parties slam underfunding of SANDF, say this puts SA's security at risk
Debating a report on the mid-term strategic review of the SANDF in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon, political parties said the country’s security was at risk because of an aging army and outdated, broken and grounded aircraft and equipment.
Umkhonto weSizwe Party MP, Wesley Douglas, during debate in the National Assembly on 15 May 2025. Picture: Phando Jikelo/Parliament
CAPE TOWN - Political parties across the spectrum have slammed the underfunding of the national defence force, saying they believed that the deaths of 14 soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in January was a direct consequence of this.
Debating a report on the mid-term strategic review of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon, political parties said the country’s security was at risk because of an aging army and outdated, broken and grounded aircraft and equipment.
Expectations are low that the funding problems will be addressed when the finance minister tables a new budget in the House next week.
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Opening the debate, co-chairperson on the joint standing committee on defence, Malusi Gigaba, said he thinks it’s time for a new white paper on the needs of a modern defence force.
He said that no price tag could be put on peace and government should strive to spend at least 1.5 percent of gross domestic product on its defence needs.
The MK Party's Wesley Douglas, however, said he believed that the defence force was already on the verge of strategic collapse.
"How dare this government speak of modernisation and readiness when our defence force is being bled dry by budget cuts and bureaucratic negligence."
The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Chris Hattingh, meanwhile, said that the deaths of troops in the DRC was humiliating and a result of the chronic underfunding.
"This is more than a military failure, it’s a national security crisis. Our forces are unprepared, our deterrence capability is nearly zero, and our country is exposed."
The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)'s Steve Swart said the review under discussion was outdated and has again called for an oversight inquiry that would better reveal the SANDF's spending needs.
The MK Party was the only one to reject the committee's report.