Saving the SANDF from collapse requires bold, decisive action - Carl Niehaus

By Carl Niehaus

On Thursday, May 15, 2025, I delivered a speech in the National Assembly (NA) during a debate on the Midterm Strategic Defence Review of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, originally tabled on March 23, 2023.

Representing the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), I addressed the dire crisis facing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The SANDF is collapsing, threatening our sovereignty and safety. However, it is not enough to merely criticize and lament its state of decay.

We must offer decisive, constructive proposals to turn it around and save it. That is precisely what I did in my speech, and I present its content here as an opinion piece to share these urgent EFF proposals with the broader South African public.

The Strategic Review lays bare a SANDF crippled by corruption, maladministration, and a shocking lack of strategic vision. The two-year delay by Parliament in addressing this crisis reflects a shameful failure to prioritize defence.

The review, grounded in the 1996 White Paper and the 1998 and 2015 Defence Reviews, shows progress in African representation—rising from 38% in 1994 to 76% today—but this achievement is undermined by systemic rot.

A staggering 69% of the defence budget is consumed by salaries, far exceeding the 40% target, leaving equipment maintenance and acquisition starved. The Department of Defence’s unfunded organogram is a mockery of accountability, betraying our troops.

The absence of strategy is a travesty. The SANDF’s “Road to Greatness” document, intended for President Ramaphosa in October 2024, remains secret, withheld from Parliament in a blatant assault on oversight.

Our soldiers’ disastrous deployment in the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—ill-equipped and unsupported — proves the SANDF is incapable of executing foreign missions or ensuring troop safety in its current state. Overextension is killing the force.

Beyond defending our borders, the SANDF is burdened with untrained roles like fighting crime, tackling illegal mining, and disaster response, draining resources and eroding readiness.

The equipment crisis is a national disgrace. Gripen fighters have been unserviceable since 2022; naval frigates and submarines rot without upgrades. The Armscor Dockyard is in shambles, and Project Hoefyster for infantry vehicles is stalled, risking billions in wasteful expenditure.

Training has collapsed — Air Force flying hours have plummeted with barely any operational planes. The state of 1 Military Hospital, a dysfunctional construction site for over 15 years, mired in legal disputes over corrupt tenders, is a deadly failure.

On April 14, 2025, Warrant Officer M. P. Mncube was denied admission to 1 Military Hospital and tragically passed away. His death, and the loss of heroic soldiers in the DRC, underscores the human cost of this crisis. The EFF dedicates this call to action to their memory.

The defence budget, a mere 0.76% of GDP, is an insult compared to the global 2% norm. The Military Skills Development System is skewed, risking future imbalances, and force rejuvenation is stalled, with the average soldier’s age now over 40. Without bold intervention, the SANDF will collapse, leaving South Africa defenceless.

The EFF’s proposals offer the only path to salvation. We demand, as a bare minimum:

•  The removal of the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, her two ineffective, bungling, deputies, the Chief of the SANDF, and senior command—replaced by capable, accountable leaders.

•  An independent anti-corruption unit within the Department of Defence, reporting to Parliament, to ensure transparent procurement.

•  An increase in defence spending to 1.5% of GDP within five years, restoring the 40:30:30 budget ratio for salaries, operations, and capital investment.

•  A national defence summit to revise the 2015 Defence Review and develop a 10-year modernisation plan.

•  Improved soldier welfare—better salaries, housing, and healthcare—and a Military Skills Development System aligned with equity targets.

•  Increased training funds, multinational exercises with BRICS partners, and support for Denel to ensure self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

The SANDF’s collapse is a crisis we can still avert. These EFF proposals are not mere rhetoric but a roadmap to a disciplined, equipped, and capable defence force. We must act now to honour our soldiers and secure our future, or face consequences far worse than the disastrous DRC deployment. The hour is upon us—South Africa must rise with courage and do what is right.

EThis piece is based on the speech I delivered on behalf of the EFF in the National Assembly on May 15, 2025, during the debate on the Midterm Strategic Defence Review of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

* Carl Niehaus is an EFF MP,. He represents the EFF on the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

** The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Independent Media or IOL.