Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga has tabled the budgets for the Department of Defence and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), as concerns over the military’s declining resources and operational readiness continue to mount.
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Chris Hattingh, a member of the parliamentary portfolio committee on defence, described the SANDF as being in dire straits, with critical branches facing severe limitations. According to Hattingh, the navy is largely not sailing, the air force is not flying, and land forces are not readily deployable. Medical health services are under severe strain and unable to adequately support serving members or veterans. Procurement has become a major problem, rooted not only in underfunding but also in a lack of proper leadership.
Hattingh pointed to the 2015 Defence Review, a roadmap accepted by Cabinet and Parliament that outlined the required force design, actions, and funding levels. Its first milestone was to arrest the decline in capabilities, but the plan was neither funded nor implemented by the government or the SANDF. As a result, the SANDF has been effectively rudderless since 2015, leading to a steady loss of capabilities as warned in the review.
A particularly embarrassing incident highlighted by Hattingh was the white flag episode in the DRC, where South African troops deployed as part of the MONUSCO mission raised a white flag after being overrun by M23 rebels.
In real terms, defence funding has been declining. Employee costs now consume approximately two-thirds of the budget, compared to the 2015 Defence Review’s vision of roughly 40% for personnel, 30% for operations, and 30% for equipment. This leaves minimal resources for maintenance, ammunition, training, and other essential functions.
Hattingh noted the average age of SANDF members is now 39, with riflemen and corporals in their 40s, while the reserve force averages 49 years old. He said this is far from ideal, as the force needs younger soldiers in their 20s and lacks a proper feeding pipeline of new recruits.
Border security remains a significant weakness. Hattingh cited visits to areas like Musina, describing an organised illegal economy involving daily crossings, smuggling, and criminal activity that authorities have failed to effectively address. He viewed porous borders as a contributing factor to challenges with illegal immigration. Deployments of only about 2,200 soldiers across the country mean the SANDF cannot meet public expectations for tackling gangsterism or illegal mining (Zama Zamas) in any meaningful or rapid way.
Hattingh acknowledged that Parliament, through the portfolio committee, is attempting to play an oversight role, but said the government has prioritised social spending on education, health, and social support, leaving the SANDF to absorb the consequences. Prolonged underfunding has resulted in the loss of skilled personnel, including air crew who leave due to insufficient flying hours, as well as engineers and intellectual property from entities like Denel. Some of these capabilities have relocated to the Middle East.
Key naval assets, including frigates and submarines acquired around the turn of the century with an expected 30-year lifespan and midlife upgrades around 2015-2016, have not received the necessary refits. Only one frigate and one submarine have undergone midlife upgrades. Maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities have also been lost, leaving South Africa’s long sea borders unpatrolled and vulnerable to looting of marine resources by foreign fishing vessels and trawlers.
On geopolitical risks, Hattingh referenced piracy moving down the east coast of Africa and ISIS activity in Mozambique that is spreading southward, noting that South Africa retains responsibilities in the Mozambique Channel but currently lacks the capacity to respond effectively.
Military veterans fall under a separate budget, but Hattingh described their situation as equally dire. Only approximately 4,400 veterans currently receive pensions, with another 2,000 approved and waiting for funding or vacancies. Around 19,000 more approved applicants remain unassessed due to backlogs. Promised benefits including medical support, housing, and education have largely not materialised, with only a small number of houses built and handed over.
Hattingh warned that the cumulative losses in equipment, people, and institutional knowledge will take a very long time to recover, if recovery is possible at all.
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