With the National Assembly (NA) and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) starting work this week in earnest the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) was speedily out of the blocks, calling on 9 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion for its first oversight visit on 20 August.
The battalion, headquartered in the Cape Town metropole, was the first of many calls on military bases, installations and units for chair Dakota Legoete and his 11 co-committee members. Reporting for the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), Corporal Mpho Khorombi, has it the visit aimed to “familiarise” PCDMV members with the SA Army. On the agenda for the committee, also in the name of familiarisation, are upcoming calls to the SA Air Force (SAAF), probably in the form of Air Force Base (AFB) Ysterplaat, and the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS), probably 3 Military Hospital in Wynberg.
One of the PCDMV briefings was given by Major General Renee Mercuur, Acting SA Army Deputy Chief. She provided the first official insight for the new PCDMV into the “strategic dilemma in budget, defence commitments and defence industry sustenance of prime mission equipment (PME)” of the landward force, christened the “Pride of Lions” by former SA Army chief Gilbert Ramano (1998 to 2004).
On modernisation, she told the committee efforts are not only about technologies but also take into account providing the necessary knowledge and skills for personnel to operate in “a rapidly changing security environment”. Modernisation efforts, she said, are aligned with broader national defence strategies, prioritising the protection of South Africa’s sovereignty and the promotion of regional stability. The initiatives also enhance the SA Army’s ability to support other government departments in times of crisis, including disaster relief operations and protection of critical national infrastructure.
The PCDMV further heard Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha’s service faced unprecedented challenges over “the past four to five years”. This is primarily due to a declining budget coupled with the service still being in the “arresting the decline” phase of implementing the 2015 Defence Review and working to stabilise service capabilities.
Legoete reportedly told those attending that the PCDMV has an “ultimate goal” of ensuring the SA Army is well-equipped, efficient, ethical and capable of protecting the nation and its citizens.
