Defence Minister Angie Motshekga faced a bruising parliamentary grilling over a R41.2 billion budget shortfall and a morale survey branded “detached from reality”.
The Department of Defence’s R57.2 billion allocation for 2025/26 – barely 0.78% of GDP – covers only 58% of the R98.3 billion the SANDF says it needs to fulfil its constitutional mandates. Personnel costs alone devour R36.7 billion (68%), leaving a pittance for fuel, spares, ammunition and new equipment.
Presenting the department’s latest internal climate survey to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Motshekga claimed soldiers rated overall morale as “good” and scored training and the DOD’s employer image above average. The only negative factor, she conceded, was resource availability.
Committee members erupted in disbelief.
EFF firebrand Carl Niehaus led the charge: “This presentation does not reflect the reality we encounter on oversight visits. Soldiers are demoralised, equipment is broken, and deployments are dangerous because of budget cuts. Were members pressured to give positive answers?” He demanded an independent audit of the survey methodology.
DA shadow minister Kobus Marais called the results “statistical gymnastics”, pointing out that only 12 of 26 Gripen fighters are airworthy, the Navy cannot put more than one frigate to sea at a time, and air support for ground troops in the DRC was “virtually non-existent” during recent M23 rebel advances that killed 14 South African soldiers in January.
Marais revealed that maritime defence is 62% unfunded, air defence 51%, and landward defence 52%. “We are sending soldiers into combat with 1970s radios and rifles held together by cable ties,” he said.
In a rare public outburst, Chief of the Navy Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese accused National Treasury of “systematic sabotage”. Treasury officials, he claimed, had repeatedly ignored SANDF submissions and slashed critical programmes, including the mid-life upgrade of the SAS Amatola frigate and the acquisition of new inshore patrol vessels.
Treasury pushed back, confirming it had allocated an additional R4.3 billion for the costly withdrawal from the DRC and R5.5 billion to fund early retirement packages for 4,000 members – part of a desperate plan to shrink the wage bill. A senior Treasury director told the committee that internal mismanagement, irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful spending amounting to R1.8 billion over the past three years had eroded trust.
Motshekga defended both the survey and her department’s performance. “I will never doubt the truthfulness of the report,” she insisted, adding that continuous morale monitoring was essential to prevent another soldier mutiny like the 2009 Union Buildings march. She highlighted plans to cut Reserve Force man-days from 3.2 million to 1.9 million annually and to mothball non-essential facilities.
But committee co-chairperson Christine Olckers (ANC) appeared unconvinced, warning that “a military that cannot move, shoot or communicate is a liability, not an asset”. She joined opposition calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently revive the stalled 2015 Defence Review and set a new funding trajectory to reach at least 1.5% of GDP by 2028.
As the meeting adjourned, soldiers outside Parliament’s gates held placards reading “No bullets, no boots, no future”.