Two SA National Defence Force (SANDF) combat services along with the SA Army Foundation and the department of Defence and Military Veterans (DMV) are in the sights of the Hawks with regard to what are termed “national priority offences” involving approximately R1 billion.
In a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) on 12 November the Hawks, officially the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), notes it has 14 cases on hand pertaining to Minister Angie Motshekga’s defence and military veterans portfolio. The cases go back as far as 2009 and were passed to the Hawks in the wake of seemingly stonewalled investigations by Military Police (MP).
The Department of Defence (DoD) is listed by the Hawks as being under investigation in nine instances.
One investigation that will go no further toward arrest, court appearances and sentencing is the long-running refurbishment and upgrade programme (RAMP) for 1 Military Hospital in Thaba Tshwane. It has been subjected to internal SANDF investigations as well as by private sector forensic analysis specialists over time with the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) in May noting “a general state of paralysis” in finding solutions to what it termed as the “stalled” RAMP at what was the flagship of the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS). Reports of tender fraud exceeding R1 billion are cited as “potential loss” in the Hawks presentation which values the actual loss at R150 million.
The decision not to seek prosecution for the failure of the 1 Mil RAMP, according to the Hawks presentation, is based on the death of the – unnamed – main suspect, no written evidence to back receipt of any “gratification” by the project manager and a bank account showing no proof of payment from the service provider.
The case was referred to the Hawks in September 2021 after millions of rands were spent since project inception in 2006, but to date no project completion recorded. The decision by the prosecutor to decline to prosecute was made in June this year.
A major transgressor is the maritime service of the SANDF where Vice Admiral Monde Lobese commands the SA Navy (SAN) with four separate investigations underway. The Department of Military Veterans (DMV) has the same number of black marks against it while Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo’s SA Air Force (SAAF) has one. Others on the Hawks’ investigation list are the DoD, as a separate entity, twice; the SA Army Foundation and the SANDF.
A 14th case is listed as a DoD one and goes about “unfair awarding of the supply of fuel” as both fraudulent and in contravention of National Treasury (NT) regulations. The loss involved is said to potentially be more than R2.5 million but under-delivery of fuel and at a higher price in 2019 resulted in a firm loss of R158 183. The matter is still under investigation.
The SA Air Force is in the spotlight for unauthorised vehicle rental from the Government Garage between 2009 and 2019 to the value of potentially R1.4 million. “It is alleged that vehicles were rented in the name of SAAF and used on private trips, causing a prejudice of R1 437 505,” the Hawks presentation stated. Investigations are ongoing.
The four DMV investigations relate to purchase and supply of construction equipment, specified as “walk behind roller machines; training; travel as well as fraud, theft and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) with regard to awarding contracts. All four total just on R287 million in potential or actual loss.
The 1 Mil investigation was seized on by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP) Carl Niehaus. “I reacted with unbridled outrage today at the staggering levels of corruption laid bare in the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. The SIU and Hawks briefing exposed over 20 years of unchecked criminality—billions of Rand siphoned off while 1 Military Hospital lies crippled, its sections inoperable for nearly two decades because tender fraud exceeded R1 billion. Shockingly, no one has been charged; the main suspects died while investigations dragged on, entrenching a culture of impunity,” one of his social media posts read.
A similar, but more carefully worded, reaction came from PCDMV chair Dakota Legoete, an African National Congress (ANC) representative, who went on record saying “malfeasance and corruption in the Defence Force and its entities cannot be ignored” post the multi-agency briefing to the oversight committee. Other insights into the extent of said “malfeasance” the committee heard were from Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke and the Special Investigating Unit, headed by Advocate Andy Mothibi.
Legoete, while appreciative of good officers in the SANDF, had it there are bad apples that need to be removed. “The challenges we are facing as the Defence [Force] today are not only due to underfunding. There is a general ill-discipline in the Defence Force, which is responsible for the decline of the national Defence Force. We need to isolate the bad elements, as they are compromising the national security of our country.”
“We are going to isolate wrong elements in the system; that work must not wait for the next portfolio committee or administration. We cannot allow criminals to take over our national security or it will collapse. This committee will not allow anarchy and plundering of military resources to continue. Someone must take responsibility; we cannot kill the SANDF – our only defence mechanism to vulnerability.”
The PCDMV requested monthly reports on old corruption cases that have been difficult to finalise. The Deputy Minister of Police, Dr Polly Boshielo, said the challenge was that the military police took a long time to refer to cases and then army officers refused to cooperate with them.
Legoete also asked for an interim report to be prepared for the President on all the pending corruption cases. “In the interim, the Military Council commanders should be kept abreast of all these corruption cases so that they are aware of the threat South Africa faces.”
Chris Hattingh, a Democratic Alliance (DA) PCDMV and Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) member, maintained in the wake of the multi-agency corruption and fraud presentation, accountability in the SANDF has collapsed. He sees elements “actively blocking investigations”.
“This was exposed at yesterday’s meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, which revealed that over R2.5 billion in serious criminal and corruption cases within the defence departments remain unresolved,” he said.
“These are not minor audit findings, but cases of suspected fraud and theft. Despite years of investigation, there have been no major prosecutions and almost no funds recovered. Corruption inside the defence system is not only tolerated but actively protected. The public can no longer trust Minister Motshekga to safeguard our national security.
“The situation is worsened by the SANDF’s refusal to co-operate with investigators, a fundamental betrayal that demands immediate accountability. This proves that corruption within the defence system is not only tolerated but actively protected.
“This obstruction is illegal, violating the Public Finance Management Act and the Defence Act. The SIU reported that disciplinary cases have been ignored for years, with officials involved in illegal tenders still in their posts. The Hawks’ delayed investigations and the National Prosecuting Authority’s inability to find documents or witnesses mean billions may never be recovered—an effective amnesty through institutional failure.
“The Auditor-General has labelled this a ‘persistent failure’ warning that accounting officers could be held personally liable for financial losses,” Hattingh said, adding South Africa’s soldiers and military veterans serve with honour – they deserve a defence administration that does the same.
The DA is pushing for action under Section 6(4)(d) of the Public Audit Act against the Secretary for Defence and the Director-General of Military Veterans for failing to recover funds and discipline officials; and a quarterly progress report to Parliament showing clear details of prosecutions, recoveries, and disciplinary outcomes – by case, name and amount.
