Cape Town – South Africa's national defence is in a perilous state, having been systematically weakened by the diversion of over R54 billion from the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) budget over the past 15 years.
This staggering sum, revealed by Dakota Legoete, chairperson of the portfolio committee on defence and military veterans, was instead used to prop up struggling state-owned enterprises and fund other government departments, leaving the country "naked" and increasingly vulnerable.
Legoete, in an interview with City Press following a media briefing in Parliament, painted a grim picture of an SANDF struggling to maintain its capabilities due to chronic underfunding. He warned that the lack of investment in replacing ageing infrastructure and personnel has had severe consequences, leaving the nation exposed to a multitude of threats.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that more than R10 billion was diverted from the special defence account to fund free tertiary education for underprivileged students.
"More than R54 billion was taken from the SANDF budget, and that has serious consequences for the challenges you see today, [for example,] that some of our equipment is not working. Some of our capabilities are challenged, some of the aircraft are offline and some of the Africa support has declined," Legoete lamented.
He stressed that these policy decisions have come at a significant cost to the country's security. "So, it's going to be important that we move with the international and global trends in terms of budget allocation to the SANDF, which is at 2% of GDP."
Legoete highlighted the urgent need to rejuvenate the SANDF, including the recruitment of more than 20,000 soldiers. "At the moment, we sometimes recruit 2,000 or fewer a year, which is not anywhere near what we need to command respect and be able to protect our sovereignty and our people," he stated.
He revealed that the defence budget had been channelled to other departments, including education and health, in the past, which had affected the defence force negatively.
Legoete also emphasised the growing threat of cybercrime and the need for the SANDF to develop new capabilities in cybersecurity.
"Over 7 000 South Africans are scammed on a daily basis through various foreign exchange investments. Our people are losing their money and patience because it's easier to get into lots of cyberspaces in South Africa [compared with other countries], including sending somebody a text with a link [that would lead victims to] expose [their] critical and private information," he explained.
He argued that bolstering the defence force's capabilities would enable them to combat cybercrimes more effectively. "Increasing the defence capabilities, we'll be able to bring cases of more than 1 000 to 2 000 cybersecurity patrollers who can take down some of these scammers operating on our websites in the country. We are currently naked, and we can't continue this way, so we need to recruit young people who know technology, some of whom can be trained to ensure that we defend our people against certain theft and fraud."
Legoete reiterated that the ageing defence force, coupled with inadequate rejuvenation efforts, has left the country vulnerable to various attacks, including cyberattacks. "So, recruitment is really needed. We need to rejuvenate … we are stagnated. And, equally, we don't want to dismiss anybody who is incapable because of age or sickness. We want them to get a proper exit as part of the strategy of rejuvenation," he said.
He called on the Treasury to allocate a minimum of R2 billion to initiate packages for service members who are eligible for early retirement without penalties. "But also, as part of the exit [from the SANDF], we are going to train some of them with new skills so that they can make a living beyond their life in service," Legoete added.
Legoete stressed that a strong defence force is a prerequisite for economic prosperity and job creation. "Investment without peace, security and defence is not possible, even for economic growth. For job creation, your defence and security are a prerequisite because nobody will bring their billions or invest in a country where they can be robbed or their CEO can be kidnapped or killed," he said.
During the press conference, he emphasised the importance of preparing to rejuvenate the defence force, even in times of peace. "In times of peace, prepare for war, and in times of war, prepare for peace and equality. Equally, the peace we see and enjoy, we need to defend it. We need to invest in its defence; we need to invest in its security because there will never be jobs, there will never be economic growth and there will never be proper schooling or proper health services unless there's a fully funded national defence force and national security."
In a controversial proposal, Legoete also suggested that the SANDF should be deployed to the streets across the country to assist in clamping down on crime.
