Defence and Military Veterans deputy minister General Bantu Holomisa has blamed the state for defunding the SA National Defence Forces (SANDF) for over a decade which he believes has led to the current poor state of the military.
Image: kamogelo moichela/IOL Politics
Defence and Military Veterans Deputy Minister General Bantu Holomisa has blamed the state for defunding the SA National Defence Forces (SANDF) for over a decade which he believes has led to the current poor state of the military.
On Tuesday, the SANDF confirmed that another four soldiers have been killed in combat against Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, bringing the total to 13 in the last week. Dozens more have been injured.
Holomisa was reacting to soldier deaths reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and stressed that a budget was needed to maintain the army’s strength and stability.
Failing to maintain the equipment and other tools of the trade was what Holomisa said contributed to the army’s state.
“We must all remember that the signals that SANDF is struggling have been issued in the last 10 or 15 years. The defunding of the SANDF led to us saying we cannot guarantee the state of readiness of our troops.
“We are struggling to even maintain aircraft like the helicopters which normally give cover to our troops when they are under attack,” he said.
The deputy minister wished for the cabinet and National Treasury to come to their aid to ensure that the military’s state was restored.
“I am happy that President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly said that we are going to move away from 0.57% of the GDP to 1.7%. That should help our defence force,” he added.
Meanwhile, Holomisa said the 13 soldiers were not killed in direct combat.“These troops were led down by other troops.
The troops of Congo surrendered, the troops of Burundi where they were supposed to cover another flank, they also disappeared and all of a sudden the SA troops were attacked,” he said.
He commended the swift reaction of the SANDF to the attacks.
IOL Politics
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