South Africa’s army in crisis ahead of war games with Russia: report
Events for Armed Forces Day kicked off last week, but the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is reportedly facing a multiplicity of problems.
As reported by City Press, despite the event receiving more than R220 million in armed forces and taxpayer money, many soldiers were forced to sleep in mud-filled tents due to heavy rain.
In addition, soldiers may not receive a salary after cooling systems for the computers used for paying the soldiers broke down. Although the event is costing over R220 million, the SANDF does not have R26 million needed to fix the computer systems, the paper said.
The SANDF’s budget issues are well known, having been raised by the ministers in charge at various portfolio committee meetings. Meanwhile, damning reports have emerged over the years, detailing failed audits, the inability by the government to keep track of assets, and various military vehicles having to be cannabalised to maintain others.
Last November, The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans’ Chair, Cyril Xaba, said that a funding crisis at the SANDF remained unresolved, and if the solution was not found, it “could spell disaster for the safety and security of the country”.
Ministers in the portfolio committee have repeatedly approached National Treasury for greater funding, saying that the defence force was on life support which left the country vulnerable to security threats.
Currently, the SANDF cannot maintain its primary combat equipment, the City Press reported. It only has a handful of aircrafts that are airworthy, and the navy does not have any ships that can operate in high seas.
However, despite the multiple issues facing the army, last week, SANDF chief of staff General Rudzani Maphwanya told the paper that the Armed Forces Day exercise would help the country residents rest easily, knowing that they should not fear for their safety.
“The army’s there and it’s an army for the people of South Africa,” Maphwanya said.
SANDF in the spotlight
The lack of resources facing the SANDF can be seen in it only providing two vessels to Exercise Mosi II, a joint naval exercise with Russia and China to take place shortly after Armed Forces Day.
The event has placed South Africa in the centre of a conflict between Western nations and Russia.
As reported by BBC, opposition figures said that the exercise amounts to an endorsement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Western governments have expressed concerns that the event will simply be a propaganda exercise for Russia to showcase its military strength.
Daily Maverick reported that anonymous Western diplomats were also concerned that Russia could test the supposedly unstoppable Zircon missile.
The SANDF said that no missile is planned to be launched during the operation.
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