The South African Army’s Exercise Vuk’uhlome 2024 Distinguished Visitors (DV) Day took place on 21 November at its Lohatlha Combat Training Centre ‘in the land of diesel and dust,’ as the SA Army likes to say.
This third iteration of Vuk’uhlome saw 7 170 troops partake in exercises leading up to the Distinguished Visitors Day, which culminated in a capability display from various units. Elements from the SA Army’s Specialist Infantry Capability (SAASIC), 1 Tactical Intelligence Unit, Motorised Infantry, 43 Mechanised Brigade, Special Forces, South African Air Force’s 2 Squadron and 85 Combat Flying School all showed off their skills and firepower.
The capability demonstration began with a large explosion detonated by engineers, a crowd control scenario (with dogs, horses and South African Police Service vehicles amongst others intervening), followed by a parachute drop from a BK 117 helicopter and air strikes by Hawks and Gripens, with two Hawks firing their 30 mm cannons. Three Gripens demonstrated their lethal accuracy with unguided Mk 81 120 kg bombs, dropping eight bombs each, totalling 2 880 kg of ordinance.
Special Forces demonstrated their disciplined tactical proficiency and gave visitor’s a peak at their new CZ Bren 2 assault rifles, chambered in both 5.56 NATO and 7.62×39 mm. Supported by mortars, ZPU-2 and ZU-23 anti-aircraft autocannons, mounted on Toyota Land Cruisers affectionately named the GOAT (gun on a truck), they executed a fire and movement to a defensive position, catching a ride on their iconic Hornets.
A battery of four Bateleur FV2 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) fired a volley of 160 127 mm pre-fragmented high explosive rockets, commencing the mechanised assault by elements of 43 Mechanised Brigade. A platoon of six Olifant MK1A Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) led the way, with two platoons of Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) following through the dust and chaos. The mechanised assault was supported by a distant battery of G5 and G6 howitzers, and an Anti-Tank (AT) platoon of Ratel 90s.
With smoke and fire in the air, the day was an awesome display of firepower, bound to impress those guests present. Minister of Defence, Angie Motshekga, experiencing the exercise for the first time, noted the exercise left her feeling humbled. “I find it a very humbling space to be honest with you,” she said, adding that she always held a deep respect for the personnel in South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as they are required to lay down their lives for their country.
Around the base at Lohathla are signs that read “train as you fight!” And indeed, the SA Army showed spectators that they do indeed, train as they fight. Exercise Vuk’uhlome 2024 culminated in the SA Army being certified as combat ready for 2024, but on closer inspection, cracks could be seen in the organisation.
As previous reporting has noted, the average age of the SANDF’s deployable personnel is 40, and most of its equipment is of a similar age, with much of it inoperable. Scattered around the Combat Training Centre were dozens, possibly hundreds of Ratel IFVs armoured personnel carriers, and various Samil trucks caked in dust, with open turret and engine hatches, indicating they had all long since been abandoned to the elements.
The Ratel IFV entered service in 1976, and production concluded in 1987, with approximately 1 300 built. The Olifant MBT has also been in service since 1976, after a modernisation programme commenced in 1974 to upgrade Centurion MBTs, which themselves were taken into service between 1955 and 1958.
Lohathla itself, characterized by its red dusty soil, open terrain and intense heat, is similar to the environment the SA Army found itself fighting in during the border wars of the 1970s and 1980s. In recent times, the SA Army has found itself fighting in sandy subtropical and dense jungle terrain, often as motorised infantry, and often without tanks and artillery, prompting training in tropical areas like Port St Johns.
The SA Army trains, as it has fought, but as has become evident over the previous years, its role has changed. Government has often called on the SANDF to act outside its mandate. South African Army infantrymen are deployed to assist police in combating illegal mining throughout the country, under Operation Vala Umgodi. A composite battlegroup of SANDF personnel is deployed under the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) to combat insurgency threats there, with nine personnel killed in 2024. Earlier this month, the last remnants of SAMIM, the SADC Mission in Mozambique, returned, with the last of the equipment arriving at the Port of Durban on 5 November.
Despite the challenges it faces, the budgetary constraints, the outdated equipment, and sore knees, the SA Army and its personnel still managed to put on a display of fire power and prowess. Some 7 170 soldiers partook in Vuk’uhlome 2024, and although not the divisional exercise seen in 2023 or 2022, the SA Army showed it can still fight.
An old saying goes, “beware the old soldier,” for someone old in a field where young men fight and die, has stuck around for a reason. They may not be the same lions feared in days of yore, but the SA Army still has teeth.
As it currently stands, the SA Army is at a crossroads and requires tough decision making. South Africa finds itself in an increasingly unstable world. As guests arrived at Lohathla, news emerged that Russia had fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine, at first reported to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. Recent elections have seen long-standing governing parties in the region greeted with change and loss, and conflict threatens to spread throughout the world. In this tumultuous time, the SANDF requires renewal and repurposing to address the threats South Africa faces, with little time to prepare.
Despite being scolded by the Auditor General, Minister stated the Department of Defence (DoD) is in talks with National Treasury regarding steps to address its budgetary constraints and irregular expenditure. The Department of Defence incurred unauthorized expenditure of R2.6 billion, which has been attributed to Cost of Employees (CoE), which several experts have said is due to Treasury setting an employee headcount for SANDF. Motshekga said the SANDF is a human resource-intensive organisation and cannot just be subjected to personnel cuts.
Additionally, Motshekga revealed her department is in talks with treasury over a stimulus package, to address maintenance backlogs and to kickstart the renewal of SANDF. Furthermore, the DoD has proposed a gradual budgetary increase over the medium term, with an eventual target of 1.5% of GDP. “The level of funding for the defence force is unsustainable, so it has to be increased,” said the Minister, adding “before they even get to 1.5%, see if they can put some money to get it on its feet.”
Click here to view the Exercise Vuk’uhlome 2024 Distinguished Visitors’ Day gallery.
