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Minister of defence & military veterans Angie Motshekga and her deputy, Bantu Holomisa. Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA
Minister of defence & military veterans Angie Motshekga and her deputy, Bantu Holomisa. Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA

Deputy defence minister Bantu Holomisa has blamed budget cuts for the deteriorating state of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), emphasising that the signs of its struggle have been apparent for more than a decade.

Holomisa’s remarks come as SA soldiers face increasing risks in peacekeeping missions, with the latest casualties in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fuelling a growing debate.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a cabinet lekgotla in Pretoria, Holomisa reflected on the long-standing difficulties the SANDF faced. As we remember, the signals that the SANDF is struggling have been apparent over the past 10 or 15 years,” said Holomisa.

He highlighted the issue of inadequate funding, which has severely affected the force’s ability to maintain equipment and ensure the readiness of its personnel.

“The defunding of the SANDF led us to say [about] the state of readiness of our defence force that we cannot guarantee we are ready, because as you are aware we are struggling to even maintain the aircraft, such as the helicopters, which normally give aerial cover to our troops when they are under attack.”

Holomisa’s comments come amid an escalation of violence in the DRC, where SA troops have been engaged in combat with Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.

On Tuesday, the SANDF confirmed the deaths of four more soldiers, bringing the total number of SA casualties to 13 in one week, with dozens of soldiers wounded.

The rising toll has sparked calls from political parties and trade unions to reconsider SA’s involvement in the UN-led peacekeeping mission.

Holomisa’s frustrations are not new. Since his appointment as deputy defence minister in July last year he has been vocal about the need for a comprehensive overhaul of military operations, particularly SA peacekeepers in the DRC.

This also follows his scathing report in October, when he exposed severe irregularities in the defence department. In the confidential document, seen by TimesLIVE, Holomisa highlighted shocking inefficiencies and mismanagement, some of which had recently been flagged by the auditor-general.

The report, addressed to minister Angie Motshekga, raised concern about the scale of the rot in the department, revealing deep systemic issues that have been contributing to the SANDF’s struggles.

Holomisa called on the National Treasury and the cabinet to reassess their priorities.

“We hope the National Treasury and the cabinet will rearrange some of the priorities. Remember the government, especially the previous administrations since 1998, focused more on social security than military security and as a result the defunding of the defence force began.

“But I’m happy that President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly said we are going to move away from 0.57% of GDP to 1.7% of GDP — that should help our defence force.

“It’s clear that [our] troops were let down by other troops, our neighbours. The troops of the DRC surrendered … They were supposed to cover another flank; they disappeared and all of a sudden these troops of SA ended up being attacked by mortars and so on.

“Our government is in contact with the UN so they can facilitate the transportation of [SA’s troops] out of the DRC.”

TimesLIVE

 

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