Chief of the South African Navy (SAN), Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, maintains annual performance plans and Defence Reviews are “mind games” that will not be resourced as the decline of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) continues.
Speaking last week at two prestigious SAN functions in Tshwane, he outlined why South Africa needed a maritime force, starting with the fact that a massive 98% of South Africa’s trade volume moves by sea. This, he told guests at the C SAN prestige ball and the SAN gala concert a day later, made a significant contribution to the national economy. The entire South African oceans economy, including maritime transport, the three-star flag officer said, is projected to contribute between 4.5 and 4.8% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2038.
A concern to him is projections of this type overlook a crucial element – “who and how do we protect our maritime resources and interests”.
“Our country is losing in the region of over R6 billion annually due to Illegal, Unregulated, Unreported (IUU) fishing. Unmonitored vessels in our seas pose a risk to the republic. At any given time we have just over 600 vessels in our territorial waters, of which some are involved in human trafficking, some with illegal fishing, some stealing our minerals, whilst some polluting our beautiful seas and beaches.
“The absence of the Navy at sea is dangerous for our country or any country for that matter. Today as a country we are battling the high population of illegal immigrants. Our society and the future of our kids is being destroyed by drugs which gets into their hands through the seas.
“For our Cabinet to approve the reduction of the SANDF work force or strength is actually nothing far from telling us [to] implement a defence version of what General Mkhwanazi has disclosed in the Madlanga Commission with regard to the closure of the political killings task team (PKTT).
“We are required to producing Annual Performance Plans and Defence Reviews, one after another, and what saddens me is knowing very well that this requirement is just a mind game as these will not be resourced.”
Lobese compared South Africa’s military underfunding to countries like Australia, which are massively investing in their militaries because they are maritime nations. At the recent Indo-Pacific Sea Power Conference which he attended, Lobese said he met his counterpart from the Kenyan Navy, who mentioned that a week before coming to Australia, his Navy caught a ship from East Asia that was carrying a large consignment of drugs destined for Mozambique, and subsequently probably South Africa.
“Our prolonged absence at sea due to non-availability of ships and submarines all because of under resourcing of our Navy should concern you as fellow patriots and South Africans.
“I often find myself questioning whether those responsible for making significant decisions, particularly regarding the funding of our defence force, if they may be directly or indirectly influenced by these drug cartels, illegal traders, maritime criminals or human traffickers. Because it would appear that consistent underfunding and incapacitating of the SAN; and defence force in general, is to ensure the success of the operations that undermine our nation, compromise its sovereignty and jeopardise the future of our children,” his speech to both events read in part.
It continues: “The unpatriotic and what appears to be a sell-out posture of defunding the SAN and SANDF in general, leaves me with a question of whether the people behind, what I would like to call ‘nonsense’; if they are not busy with a mission to privatise the SAN and the SANDF, seeing that the private security is a lucrative business in our country and it is replacing the state security machinery. We must refuse this kind [of] unconstitutional policy decisions”.
Lobese said that attempts have been made by a certain government department to bring a foreign company to come patrol South African waters. “As the Navy we rejected this sellout and unpatriotic decision.”
The Chief has it further when South Africa’s maritime domain is secure “our nation stands secured”. For that to happen he maintains good governance, coherent laws, accountable institutions and leaders who put national interest above competition have to be “secured”.
“We cannot be ignorant of what is happening around the world,” Lobese said, pointing to the US military buildup near Venezuela, the ongoing military crisis in Ukraine, and now the US threatening Nigeria with military action. “Ladies and gentlemen, the question we should be asking ourselves is ‘who or will be their next target in the African continent?’”
“With that in mind, we need to be found ready and not repeat what Libya went through after it was accepted back into the so called world democracy, where its military was caught with pants down due to failure of rejuvenating itself and thinking that the world was on its side and will never attack it.
“All I am putting to you this evening is that we cannot continue to be silence observers of our country going to the dogs. We need to advocate for a stronger, well-funded Defence Force. We need to think about what is at stake for not having a Navy present at sea. With the responsibility entrusted in me to command the seas of our country, and the love I have for our motherland, I find it difficult to separate emotions from my responsibility, and I am not apologetic about,” Lobese told those at both the St George’ Hotel and UNISA functions.
Lobese’s outspokenness on SAN – and broader SANDF – issues was not well received at Minister Angie Motshekga’s Defence and Military Veterans Ministry with a rebuttal in the form of a Department of Defence (DoD) statement.
Without specifying, the statement has it the three-star flag officer “cast aspersions at the leadership of government”. Motshekga, according to the statement, regards the remarks “not only as inappropriate, disingenuous and unfortunate on a matter he [Lobese] is fully aware that is receiving attention at all levels, starting from within the department to Parliament”. Appropriate – again – unspecified – steps will be taken to deal with “this unfortunate outburst worst still from a senior person at his level (sic)”.
