Minister Modise has her work cut out for her to restore dysfunctional SANDF

09 August 2021

The DA has noted the appointment of Thandi Modise as the new Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. Minister Modise’s appointment follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s removal of Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula from his Cabinet on Thursday.

Her axing was long overdue following her many blunders in relation to the Collins Khosa case, her use of military jets for personal and party-political outcomes, the alleged smuggling of Cuban drugs by the South African Defence Force (SANDF), and the last straw that broke the camel’s back was her very publicly disputing the President on the characterisation of the violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Minister Modise, therefore, has her work cut out for her in restoring the dysfunction left behind by her predecessor.

While there are most probably more suitable candidates from outside the President’s ANC loyalists to serve in this role, we can only trust that Minister Modise’s experience will guide her to tackle all the challenges of the SANDF.

The DA calls on the new Minister to prioritise the following key areas within the Defence Department:

Reform and reposition the SANDF according to current and future requirements to meet the modern day challenges faced by South Africa.

Commission a process to reconsider the 2015 Defence Review Policy Statement and enable Parliament to begin a White Paper process for an affordable and sustainable defence/military policy.

Emphasise a smaller regular force and bigger reserve force capability.

Meet with the Portfolio Committee on Defence and the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, National Treasury and the Minister of Finance regarding a restructured budget.

Urgent need for the acquisition and use of cyber and other technologies as force multipliers.

As South Africa will be dominantly army reliant, assure the upgrade and acquisition of strategic and efficient landward, and air support equipment and assets.

The DA congratulates Minister Modise on her appointment and we hope that she will continue with her tradition of engagement and openness to the inputs of the opposition.

Statement issued by Kobus Marais MP - DA Shadow Minister of Defence, 9 August 2021