Examination of the 2025/26 Department of Defence (DoD) annual performance plan (APP) confirms, according to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentarian, “what has long been clear” – that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) is in serious decline and risks collapse.
Chris Hattingh, who heads the three-person DA defence oversight effort in Parliament, issued a strongly worded statement following last month’s presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) by the Department of Defence (DoD). His statement is much the same as that of PCDMV chair Dakota Legoete, who warned of an ongoing decline in SANDF capabilities and performance after sitting through the DoD presentation on strategic and annual performance plans.
In brief, Hattingh has it the SANDF is “in decline, crippled by outdate policies and poor management”. Without immediate action, he warns it risks collapse which can be laid at the door of operational failures and a growing budget crisis.
“Despite repeated promises, South Africa still has no updated, funded defence policy. The 2015 Defence Review, meant to guide SANDF renewal, was never implemented. It now stands as a symbol of institutional failure. With no alternative, this outdated document remains the only point of reference for our defence force,” a statement reads in part, continuing “action can no longer be delayed”.
“We demand that a new defence review process must begin immediately. This must be led by a new White Paper, a vital step that takes years to complete and cannot be rushed. In the meantime, the overdue reassessment of the 2015 Review, promised by two ministers but never delivered, must be finalised and adopted to guide short-term action”.
Of the 2025/26 APP, Hattingh points out it contains no clear timelines. Additionally, references to a new White Paper are “vague, with no visible urgency or progress”. This, according to him, leaves the SANDF “drifting without direction”.
“No one can clearly define its size, purpose, or equipment needs. The force structure is bloated, with over 60% of the budget spent on personnel, leaving training, maintenance and modernisation largely ignored for more than a decade.
“This is not sustainable. The budget deficit, already at 43% based on outdated structures, continues to grow. There is no clear leadership, no plan before Cabinet and no political will to fix the situation. Leadership responses are evasive, offering no real solutions,” the statement reads further.
Hattingh has it the consequences are already visible. “Failures in operations, such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are not isolated incidents. They are the natural result of a degraded, under-supported force”.
The SANDF, according to him, is at a critical point. “Without a new strategy, hard political choices and real leadership, South Africa’s defence capability will continue to erode until it becomes irrelevant.”
