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BEAT THE BEAST THAT FEEDS ON AFRICA’S DIVISION PAGE 11
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Members of the SANDF on patrol in the streets of Alexandra in 2021. Photo by Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images
WARNING: SANDF STRETCHED TOO THIN By Staff Reporters
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outh Africa’s military capacity has suffered serious injuries as a result of the country’s misfiring economy. The Constitution, on Section 200(2), decrees that the mandate of the military is to defend and protect the country, its territorial integrity and its people, in accordance with the Constitution and the principles of international law. This compels the Department of Defence to provide, manage, prepare and employ defence capabilities proportionate with the needs of South Africa as regulated by the Constitution, national legislation, parliamentary and executive direction.
This must be provided through proper management, provision, preparedness and employment of defence capabilities, which are in line with the domestic and global needs of South Africa. With South Africa’s economy misfiring from all cylinders, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is unable to fulfil the aforementioned constitutional mandate. There is a crisis. Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise made a chilling warning during her departmental budget vote speech. She said the worsening performance of the country’s economy has placed considerable pressure on the government and households. This, she said, was making it difficult for
government to adequately meet all competing needs. The army is spread way too thin and this means there is fertile ground for more instability in the country. She said there was no doubt there is a widening dichotomy between what the SANDF is expected to achieve, and the resources provided to fulfil those expectations. "It is becoming difficult to adequately meet all competing needs. This is fertile ground for instability. The historical downward trend in the defence allocation has not abated. It is likely to continue to the detriment of the SANDF and the demise of the defence industry,” she said. In the week that Modise warned Parliament on these dire military constraints, the African Union held
a summit of heads of state on terrorism and unconstitutional changes of government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. This as terror attacks are on the rise in the African continent. Two months ago, the 2022 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) revealed that there was an increase in terror attacks in Africa. The Index highlights that terrorism remains a serious threat, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 48% of total global deaths from terrorism. Four of the 10 countries with the largest increases in deaths from terrorism were also in sub-Saharan Africa: Niger, Mali, the DRC and Burkina Faso. Closer to home, in Cabo Delgardo in neighbouring Mozambique, terror attacks spiked in recent weeks ahead
of Modise’s spine-chilling warning to the nation about its failing military capacity. Modise told Parliament that the SANDF may soon be unable to assist in peace-keeping missions because these deployments put it under great pressure. Also, it was often not reimbursed and that supplies of crucial equipment were critically low. "Defence planning has become primarily a budget-driven affair as opposed to a mandate-driven one. This means that our ability to deliver on our constitutional mandate ultimately compromises the successful conducting of military strategic missions in a sustainable manner,” Modise said.
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