Parliament, Friday, 18 July 2025 – The Joint Standing Committee on Defence will write a letter to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and the Secretary for Defence, registering the committee’s discontent after the leadership of the Division: Defence Materiel was unable to make a critical presentation to the committee. The committee considers this grossly unprofessional and, furthermore, it undermines the committee’s important oversight work.
“This meeting was pre-planned, and everyone was aware that it would be held on the virtual platform. To facilitate the technical processes, the link is opened 30 minutes before the start of every meeting to ensure that all participants resolve any technical or connectivity challenges. The inability to log in on time and make a critical presentation is both unacceptable and borders on undermining the committee,” said Mr Malusi Gigaba, the Co-Chairperson of the committee.
The committee’s unhappiness was exacerbated by the fact that the goal of today’s meeting was to gain a broad understanding of the challenges experienced in procuring spare parts, which are necessary to ensure that the SANDF’s capabilities are maintained as required. “The inability of Defence Materiel to make a presentation robbed the committee of a comprehensive and full picture of challenges faced within the value chain. While Armscor made a presentation and members were able to probe the submission, a broader picture of the challenges and reasons for the delays would have been ideal,” said Mr Phiroane Phala, the Co-Chairperson of the Committee.
However, the committee remains concerned about the impact of the continued underfunding of the SANDF, which has affected its ability to maintain its capabilities. The committee highlighted that the continued underfunding has led to an undesirable situation in which “procurement determined operations” of the SANDF. Ideally, SANDF operations should determine what needs to be procured.
The underfunding also prevents the procurement of enough spares to ensure optimal availability of parts, especially in the context of the lead time needed, and legal requirements that must be adhered to in importing some parts into South Africa.
The committee reiterated the importance of certainty about whether South Africa has the defence force it needs and the financial resources necessary to achieve this vision for the SANDF. In light of this committee called for the “Journey to Greatness” policy proposal to be finalised to ensure South Africa achieves its defence force goals.
ISSUED BY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CO-CHAIRPERSONS OF THE JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE, MR MALUSI GIGABA AND MR PHIROANE PHALA
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