THE government has been called to explore alternative funding models and enhance an adequate budget for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) believes revitalising the SANDF could play a key role in helping the government meet some of its goals.

The SANDF has been subjected to severe budget cuts, and the ravages of underfunding and unserviceable capabilities against escalating tasks have devastated the force.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the department received a total budget allocation of R51.1 billion, a net decrease of about R500 million from the previous adjusted budget.

However, the 2024/25 defence budget is set at R51.8 billion and subsequently adjusted to R52.4 billion. For 2025/26, the budget rises to R53.7 billion and increases to R56.2 billion for 2026/27.

The budget cuts resulted in cutbacks in training, failure to modernise equipment, reduced permeability of equipment, including man-portable battle equipment, and the withdrawal of air support.

ADM executive chairperson Sandile Ndlovu said South Africa must explore alternative funding models. Ndlovu said a public-private partnership (PPP) could provide relief by allowing private companies to finance and develop military systems while the government pays over an extended period.

He said this model fosters innovation, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

“It will be interesting to see if Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana deals with defence spending in his Budget Speech later this month. As the most industrialised nation in Africa and the current president of the G20, our role on the continent and globally is in sharp focus. This increased scrutiny coupled with the potential for economic growth in the defence sector might just raise the profile of South Africa’s military in fiscal discussions in the coming months,” said Ndlovu.

Rise Mzansi also called for an adequate defence budget and a new strategic plan during the National Assembly debate on the recent casualties incurred by SANDF in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their implications for the defence force.

This was after 14 members of the SANDF were killed in the eastern DRC two weeks ago.

The soldiers were part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), which includes troops from Malawi and Tanzania. The deployment followed approval by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in May 2023, in response to the deteriorating security situation in eastern DC.

Rise Mzansi’s leader and member of Parliament, Songezo Zibi, said successive parliaments have approved budget cuts that have put the lives of the members of the armed forces at risk over the last decade.

Zibi added that the latest Auditor-General (A-G) report explains why Rwandan President Paul Kagame gives interviews with disrespect dripping out of his mouth for “our country and our president”.

The A-G report for 2023/24 highlighted rampant unauthorised expenditure in the department, to the sum of R3.4 billion, irregular expenditure which amounted to R338 million, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure which drastically increased from R2 569 million in 2022/23 to R51 million in 2023/24.

Zibi said the reason Kagame disrespects South Africa and President Cyril Ramaphosa is that the navy and air force have seen a decline in the number of hours their key assets have been productive, with aircraft flying a total of 711,9 for force employment in 2023/24 compared to 11 696,71 in 2012/13.

He said the decline has occurred every financial year since 2013.

“The decline in available capabilities has had an impact on training and development, with several aircrew staff losing their currencies. The decline is caused by the reduction in Armscor dockyard’s capacity as well as the inability of Denel to procure materials for our troops,” Zibi said.

He said the country needs a new strategic plan for the defence force, including the hiring of younger personnel to strengthen capabilities for the long term. He said Minister Angie Motshekga must table an enhanced budget for the armed forces, adding that Parliament must reject it if it is inadequate.

Zibi also asked Ramaphosa to install defence force leadership that would run the SANDF properly.

DA MP and spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh, said South Africa has been involved in various missions in the region over the years.

However, concerns over SANDF readiness were raised as early as 2016/17, when Mission Thebe trained 9,000 FARDC recruits (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to create a Rapid Reaction Brigade, and military instructors were deployed in the region without proper authorisation.

“It was later reported that R55 million had to be borrowed for the instructor’s rations and logistics, as at that stage already, our defence force did not even have the money to undertake the most basic border patrols.”

The party’s spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans, Maliyakhe Shelembe, said: “The question that we have to ask ourselves is how the president can make a commitment to the African Union and the United Nations and deploy our poorly armed soldiers to the DRC, ostensibly for peacekeeping purposes, fully knowing that the SANDF is not combat-ready to deal with the armed M23 rebels.”

Organisations such as the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) and the Public Servants Association (PSA) previously called for the funding reconsideration and withdrawal of the SANDF in the DRC.

Both organisations said they were shocked that the army was deployed in the DRC without the necessary resources for this peacekeeping mission. These include years of budget cuts impacting training, equipment, and maintenance.

Meanwhile, the Freedom Front Plus has called on Ramaphosa to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate, among other things, media reports alleging that senior SANDF generals withheld important information regarding the mission from the president.

This was after Rapport reported that certain generals insisted that Ramaphosa should be informed of the defence force’s shortcomings and consequent inability to proceed with the mission.

But other senior generals reportedly prevented them from doing so. The party said this means that any information, even if it related to a possible coup, could be withheld from the president.