South African Air Force goes blind: ‘We effectively don't have a Defence Force’ - Helmoed Heitman, military expert
The South African Air Force’s radar systems are essentially non-functional, leaving the country vulnerable to attack and its borders brittle.
A close-up of an SA Airforce helicopter during a massed flypast during the presidential inauguration on 19 June 2024. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News
702’s Bongani Bingwa speaks with Helmoed Heitman, a Military and Defence Expert.
Listen below:
If South Africa gets attacked from the skies, we would have no way to see it coming.
The country's air force radar systems are so broken and outdated that they cannot track or stop anything that comes in.
The air force is reportedly down to just six working jets.
Heitman says that it is clear there is no understanding of how the defence force works at the cabinet or treasury level, which has led to it being overstretched and underfunded.
RELATED: Air force crisis leaves South Africa 'vulnerable' - Chair, Portfolio Committee for Defence
“There is no reason why it should have been allowed to deteriorate the way it has, to the point where, effectively, we do not have a defence force.”
- Helmoed Heitman, military expert
He says the lack of radar coverage not only makes us vulnerable to invasion, but it also means illegal items can be smuggled in and out of the country by air.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview for more.