Members of the Media
Fellow South Africans
It is the first duty on any Government in the world to ensure the safety of its citizens and the security of its territory. Without such safety and security being ensured, the viability and advancement of a nation would be tenuous at best.
I, therefore, repeat what I said in the 2016 Defence Budget Vote:
“There is no doubt that it is in our national interest to have a Defence Force capable of supporting our national security imperatives, foreign policy objectives and the country’s economic interests. It must have the capacity to defend and safeguard the sovereignty of the Republic, keep and enforce peace outside its borders, and have an offensive capability to deter potential aggressors.” (Defence Vote 2016)
Our Defence Force has a critical role to play as we, together with our regional and other partners, seek to secure peace and stability, without which economic development is not possible on the continent.
In Parliament today, I will introduce the young men and women, who served in the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade in the Eastern DRC, which was mandated to protect civilians, women, children and repel negative forces.
Amongst the greatest successes of the Force Intervention Brigade is the important role it played in neutralising the negative forces, the M23 in particular in the eastern DRC.
During FY 2016/17, we spent significant effort on building the “Defence Plan to Arrest the Decline” and we are now implementing milestone one of the Defence Review 2015. The primary focus is to address the serious mismatch between the current funding allocation to and the expectations placed on the Department of Defence.
As indicated in the Defence Review, the full implementation would imply a doubling of the current allocation from the fiscus over the long-term. In reality, the Defence allocation has been declining in real terms over the last 20 years by 5% per annum to a mere 1% of GDP, the appropriate funding level as articulated in the DR 2015 would require a steady state increase to at least 2% of GDP over time.
Whilst there is great appreciation for the competing pressures on the fiscus, there has been a persistent and continued dramatic downward trend in the defence allocation.
It is clear that a more close relationship between the DOD and the NT is required to take the implementation of the Defence Review forward. An Inter-departmental Budget Task Team has be established and is working towards achieving a long-term perspective on the required resources to implement the Defence Review.
The Defence Review 2015 has been fully embedded into the established planning process of the Department and forms part of our annual performance plans.
Notwithstanding challenges in border safeguarding, the SANDF continues to register substantial operational achievements in the prevention of cross-border crime, but more needs to be done.
It is still my intention that the required number of companies deployed must increase from 15 to 22, as per plan and to make our borders more secure. This however cannot happen due to continuous reductions in the defence budget. It must be noted that this challenge is not confined to the deployment of soldiers, but there are huge infrastructure challenges which must be dealt with.
The new HR strategy has been completed and maps out the rejuvenation of the Defence Force however due to reduced HR budget allocation the new recruits’ intake are expected to decrease in size that is negatively affecting force-rejuvenation
Transformation of the defence industry remains a critical strategic goal. In this regard, we established the National Defence Industry Council (NDIC) last year to facilitate a platform for Government support and repositioning of the Defence Industry.
The NDIC has already developed the draft Defence Industry Strategy and the Defence Industry Charter, providing pathways for the transformation and growth of the Defence Industry.
With regard to the Department of Military Veterans significant progress has been made to turn around the department; which amongst others includes putting in place sound financial management systems to address the Auditor-General of South Africa’s findings that led to a qualified audit report.
To date, out of the R662, 1 million allocated to DMV in the financial year end 2017/18, R108, 1 million has been allocated to the DMV Education Support Program. This benefit has created what we refer to as a beautiful problem because it challenges our current systems as well as budgeting and planning processes.
Housing
Housing continues to be one of our priorities. It is a critical need for veterans. However, DMV does not have a developer status yet. In this regard, R73,2 million has been allocated to housing.
The DMV has started the process of amending the Military Veterans’ Act 18 of 2011 to ensure that it is properly aligned within the context of the Constitution of the Republic, and deepening the needs of military veterans.
Furthermore, the department has made a significant stride with regard to improved financial expenditure to military veterans’ benefits. Most importantly the amendment of the legislation will be put to Parliament during this financial year. Further elaboration will be done by the Deputy Minister.
