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Mission overload: SANDF stretched on several fronts
A week after they were killed in a mortar attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the bodies of SANDF members Captain Simon Mkhulu Bobe and Lance Corporal Irven Thabang Semono were handed over to their families at Waterkloof Air Force Base on Wednesday.
Three other members were injured in the attack.
All five were part of an advance party of 250 SANDF members forming part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week.
Under this deployment, a 2 900-strong South African contingent will be stationed in the DRC for a year at the cost of R2 billion.
Concerns have been raised that our soldiers in the DRC are defenceless as they do not seem to have the necessary support.
Prior to last week's mortar attack, an Oryx helicopter was also shot at, during which a major and a medical orderly were injured.
Besides the DRC mission, SANDF has approximately 1 300 soldiers in Mozambique as part of another SADC mission and at least 1 000 who are part of a UN operation in the DRC.
It recently emerged a contract between Denel and the Department of Defence, which covers the expenses of technicians and engineers for helicopter maintenance, lapsed more than four months ago and has not been renewed.
This could jeopardise the capability of troops deployed in the DRC and Mozambique missions.
Back home, the SANDF is often used as a stop-gap security measure. About 2 500 troops have been deployed to the country's borders, while another 3 300 form part of an operation to crack down on illegal miners. About 880 troops are involved in providing Eskom power station and infrastructure protection.
In this week's Friday Briefing, we examine whether the overstretched and under-resourced SANDF continues to fulfil the mandate it was initially set up for and whether any lessons have been learned since Bangui where 13 paratroopers were killed by the Seleka force in the Central African Republic in March 2013.
In-depth writer Muhammad Hussain speaks to military expert Helmoed-Römer Heitman and African Defence Review director Darren Olivier about the SANDF's capacity on all fronts.
We also have a submission from Professor Theo Neethling of the University of the Free State reflecting on the ongoing decline of the SANDF over its 30-year history and how it got to this point.
Finally, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation's Nyasha Mpani and Dr Webster Zambara break down what exactly is happening in the DRC, and why, in their view, the SANDF deployment was necessary.
We hope you feel more enlightened after reading all three submissions.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editorSouth Africa walking noisily into battle, but carrying a twig
Two defence analysts, who painted a grim picture of the South African military deployments to the DRC and Mozambique, believe casualties are inevitable - and that, given the state of the SA military, these operations are irresponsible, writes Muhammad Hussain.
The SANDF after 30 years: High political expectations vs acute budgetary constraints
In the past three decades, a clear mismatch has developed between what has been and is currently expected from the SANDF at a political level on the one side, and its budget and capabilities on the other, writes Theo Neethling.
SADC troop deployment to DRC: A necessary pain for a noble cause
Considering its geographic, economic and political strategic influence, the repercussions of continued instability in the DRC have far-reaching consequences, necessitating a comprehensive and concerted effort to address both internal and external security threats, write Nyasha Mpani and Webster Zambara.
