Defence Minister Angie Mothekga on Wednesday challenged Parliament to use its constitutional powers to allocate proper funds to the defence force for it to execute its mandate.
Responding during the budget vote debate in the National Assembly, Motshekga said it was not enough for the MPs to just say the defence force was underfunded.
“I want to say, indeed, please allocate funds to see the greatness that will come. For now to keep saying there are shortcomings, the defence does not give itself funds. It is allocated funding by Parliament,” she said.
During the debate, parties across the political divide lashed out at the department for its ageing infrastructure, maintenance backlogs, procurement challenges and poor operations amid a lack of consequence management and governance weaknesses.
Tabling the 2026/27 budget, Motshekga said the department has been allocated R57.6 billion, with at least two thirds, R37.7 billion allocated for the compensation of employees.
Motshekga said R150 million has also been allocated to support the upcoming local government elections while R823 million will be spent in the deployment to support the SAPS in the fight against gangsterism and illegal mining.
She said the defence force was faced with a fundamental and persistent misalignment between mandate expectations and funding.
“This is a strategic national concern requiring a structured compact between the strategic intent and fiscal planning sustained over multiple planning cycles.”
The long-term ‘Journey to Greatness’ strategy has been approved by the Cabinet and is awaiting parliamentary processes.Motshekga acknowledged that her department faced challenges of an ageing fleet of patrol and support vehicles as the infrastructure shortfalls remained acute.
“Helicopter numbers and serviceability are inadequate, as we speak, to sustain rapid response across domestic and national security tasks. Radar and air traffic controls infrastructure also need more resourcing and upgrading.”
Motshekga added that essential equipment and port infrastructure continue to deteriorate and need to be repaired or replaced.
She restated what her predecessors had previously said, that the department’s organogram was not sufficiently funded.
“Numerous engagements are taking place with the National Treasury to find a solution to this funding conundrum, but as part of our retention, the department will pursue a gradual increase in the number of military skills and recruits within the funding limitations of the budget constraint.”
ANC MP Sisipho Jama said the department’s challenges could not simply be viewed as administrative matters.
“They directly affect the operational readiness and long-term capability of the SANDF,” Jama said.
MK Party MP Pumlani Kubukeli said the dilapidated and obsolete infrastructure and chronic underfunding of the defence “will ultimately force the State to outsource our defence functions to private contractors”.Kubukeli said: “Austerity measures are risks that can’t be reversed because the defence budget is cut at all times.”
EFF MP Carl Niehaus said the budget represented a fiscal failure, deliberately managed for the decline of the defence capability.
Niehaus said the costs of the Journey to Greatness long-term strategy should be done properly.
The IFP’s Russel Cebekhulu said the defence capability was not a luxury but a constitutional necessity.
“The department continues to fail operationally, administratively and morally. There are persistent concerns with governance, infrastructure and operational readiness and financial management,” said Cebekhulu.
“More concerning are SANDF members forced to purchase their own uniform due to supply chain management failures.”
ACDP MP Steve Swart said the financial constraints of the department were nothing new. “We have lamented this for many years. Our voices and those of defence and officers have largely fallen on deaf ears,” Swart said.
“We as Parliament rinse our hands when we have the power to pass the budget,” he said before calling for sufficient funding to be made available for the 30-year long term strategy.
DA MP Chris Hattingh said the Journey to Greatness strategy was ‘a death march in uniform parade’.
Hattingh said the 2015 Defence Review strategy had warned that defence capability required funding, but it was ignored and the defence force was paying the price as it was unable to safeguard the sovereignty of sea, land and air.
But, Motshekga insisted that once there was appropriate allocations to the department, they could engage in discussions.
“To blame the department for underfunding, I don’t know what that means. It should be raised with Parliament,” she said, adding that the department had a plan to address concerns raised by the MPs.