Legoete says government must be educated on importance of a well-capacitated SANDF
The committee chair said the department’s budget decreased, despite a global crisis that has left more countries bolstering their military capabilities.
Defence portfolio committee chairperson Dakota Legoete addresses security cluster briefing in parliament. Picture: Phandu Jikelo/Parliament
JOHANNESBURG - Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence chair, Dakota Legoete, said government, including the president, need to be educated on the importance of a well-capacitated South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The committee chair said the department’s budget decreased, despite a global crisis that has left more countries bolstering their military capabilities.
On Wednesday, Minister Angie Motshekga tabled a R57 billion budget – a marginal drop from 2024’s R58 billion.
Legoete – an African National Congress (ANC) member of Parliament (MP) who currently serves as one of the committee chairs of defence – is refusing to stay mum as the department’s purse continues to shrink.
“I have taken an oath of office to be loyal to the republic and defend its people, and I will be failing if I'm not honest. I also need to be another Mkhwanazi so that people must understand, we are getting sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
He said money over the years has not been used to capacitate the country's military, but instead to bail out sinking state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
Legoete said the country remains vulnerable.
“We are the only ones still at 0.7% but expect not to have porous borders, expect not to have the criminal elements that extort people, even on the cyber level, South Africa has one of the highest targets in the globe.”
He said the president and his government must be taught about a war cabinet and its functions, including how to override allocation of funds to favour security and defence.