The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga to explain South African National Defence Force (SANDF) priorities following reports that the Air Force used limited resources to acquire luxury vehicles.
The DA said it has written to the Chairperson of the Select Committee to request that Motshekga, Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo, and SANDF bosses be called to explain the Air Force’s priorities as soon as the National Council of Provinces resumes its work in the fourth term.
“Whilst the DA eagerly awaits a report from Minister Motshekga to dismiss its claim that SANDF is in crisis…it has emerged that the Air Force used its limited resources to acquire two Audi Q7s at the cost of R3 million for use by Lieutenant General Mbambo, the Air Force Chief. This was despite an objection by the Defence Secretariat,” the DA’s Nicholas Gotsell, Member on the Select Committee on Security and Justice, said in a statement on 23 September.
During a question-and-answer session in the National Council of Provinces in September, Gotsell put it to Motshekga that the Force is in crisis as it is unable to discern its real priorities in order to achieve its strategic objectives.
Referencing Landie Africa-Coetzee and her 10-year-old daughter, who burnt to death in a dilapidated SANDF house, Gotsell told Motshekga that her Department prioritised Superman-themed bedrooms for the children of Army Generals, who earn close to R2 million per year, over the wellbeing and resourcing of its troops, as well as maintaining the Air Force and Navy’s capabilities to protect South Africa’s borders. Motshekga denied this and undertook to respond in writing.
Another recent apparent priority for the Air Force was the participation of its band in a Music Festival in Russia. The week-long international festival, which took place at the end of August, cost the taxpayer R15 million, the DA said.
“The inability of SANDF to prioritise the protection of the country’s borders over unnecessary, luxury expenditure further fuels the DA’s claim that SANDF is in crisis,” Gotsell concluded.
