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Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? - Foreign Affairs (1299) - Nairaland

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Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by ThaVluit: 2:04pm On Oct 17, 2014
Weekend begins. I'm out! Have fun, y'all.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by agaugust: 2:06pm On Oct 17, 2014
Msauza:


ALMOST EVERY PLACE I SAW IN NIGERIA WAS SLUM. DONT FALLOW THA PIE CHART BECAUSE YOUR POPULATION IS BIG, MEANING ALL YOUR SLUMS ARE OVER THE SIZE OF SOUTH AFRICAN POPULATION.

....because you are slum dweller both in Soweto and in Enugu. You need deliverance prayers
.

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Patchesagain: 2:06pm On Oct 17, 2014
sirjerry:
You didn't build your own land you
"INHERIT" them from the white, you have no right to judge any african country cause they get to build theirs.

Much like you inherited Nigeria from the English (was there a "Nigeria" before they came?!?)

Much like you inherited, clothing, vehicals, medicine, education etc etc etc (aka EVERYTHING MODERN PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED) from them - including the ability to extract oil

Hell man, you are speaking English right now.

Dont come here with asinine arguments
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Nobody: 2:07pm On Oct 17, 2014
ThaVluit:


YouKnowThis

E'ryday
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by agaugust: 2:09pm On Oct 17, 2014
SkyServant . Retired

2 Likes

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Patchesagain: 2:11pm On Oct 17, 2014
sirjerry:
Describe it however you like, your problem not mine, but something that will be forever written in history and will be taught to generation is that SA was not able to achieve independence, your country have to be safe from modern slavery by other country.

Not able to achieve independence?

Let me explain something to you.

2 things brought the NP Government down:

1. Massive international sanctions
2. The multitudes on the streets making the country ungovernable

Some countries acted as hosts to our fighters but that is all they did.

Nigeria did the least - you issued some passports and that is all.

Lesotho did more for the struggle

1 Like

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:11pm On Oct 17, 2014
ThaVluit:


Picture 1 - Johannesburg

Picture 2 - Lagos
If we do not arrest the path we are on, where citizens are passive and we are just recipients of what the governing party does and how it says it is changing things but failing to implement, what do we risk by continuing on this trajectory?

We risk being a failed state. We already have signs of that. Show me a democracy where you can have a government that admits 80% of schools are not working. The training system is not working because we have 800,000 vacancies in the services industry and 900,000 graduates who can’t get jobs. We have a system that has failed in the health domain — people are dying needlessly, woman are dying in childbirth in the 21st century.

We have infrastructure that is a shock — as a resident of Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, it’s just shocking. Every year money is allocated to roads but it ends up in someone’s pocket and there is no accountability. How can we succeed as a country in the 21st century? We have an economy that works fabulously for a tiny minority of people. For the majority, can you imagine a country succeeding where 71% of its most energetic, creative segment of the population is not participating in the economy? That’s us. Fifteen- to 34-year-olds are hanging around the car parks or in shebeens and other places where they shouldn’t be because we have failed.
This is fact son. Eat that.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Patchesagain: 2:12pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
If we do not arrest the path we are on, where citizens are passive and we are just recipients of what the governing party does and how it says it is changing things but failing to implement, what do we risk by continuing on this trajectory?

We risk being a failed state. We already have signs of that. Show me a democracy where you can have a government that admits 80% of schools are not working. The training system is not working because we have 800,000 vacancies in the services industry and 900,000 graduates who can’t get jobs. We have a system that has failed in the health domain — people are dying needlessly, woman are dying in childbirth in the 21st century.

We have infrastructure that is a shock — as a resident of Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, it’s just shocking. Every year money is allocated to roads but it ends up in someone’s pocket and there is no accountability. How can we succeed as a country in the 21st century? We have an economy that works fabulously for a tiny minority of people. For the majority, can you imagine a country succeeding where 71% of its most energetic, creative segment of the population is not participating in the economy? That’s us. Fifteen- to 34-year-olds are hanging around the car parks or in shebeens and other places where they shouldn’t be because we have failed.
This is fact son. Eat that.

No, that is an opinion
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:20pm On Oct 17, 2014
Patchesagain:


Not able to achieve independence?

Let me explain something to you.

2 things brought the NP Government down:

1. Massive international sanctions
2. The multitudes on the streets making the country ungovernable

Some countries acted as hosts to our fighters but that is all they did.

Nigeria did the least - you issued some passports and that is all.

Lesotho did more for the struggle

After the end of Apartheid in 1994 and with the advent of majority rule, control of big business in both the public and private sectors still rested in the hands of white individuals. According to Statistics South Africa, whites comprise just under 10% of the population, meaning that most of the country’s economy was controlled by a very small minority. BEE is intended to transform the economy to be representative of the demographic make-up of the country.”

It sounds like a noble cause but there is just one thing. It is not working. It is poorly implemented and is wrought with corruption, fraud and misrepresentation. A few colored and Asians are getting the lion’s share of the business while the Black population continues to be left out of the economic infrastructure. Among the 295 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Blacks account for just 4% of chief executive officers, 2% of chief financial officers and 15% of other senior posts (The Economist). Entrepreneurship is basically void and a start in this area is desperately needed. Even President Jacob Zuma seems to agree. “Instead of redistributing wealth and positions to the Black majority, they have resulted mainly in a few individuals benefiting a lot,” he says, “while leaving the leadership of most big companies in white hands. The Black masses, the intended beneficiaries, have hardly gained.” Well, Mr. President, what are you going to do about it?
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:24pm On Oct 17, 2014
Patchesagain:


No, that is an opinion
this is an opinion as well:
The South African government must set aside a pool of contracts for participants in the program to compete for. There can be some subcontracting also but prime contracting is the key to business growth. Develop large Black owned businesses and demand that they subcontract to other Black owned firms.

Black should be Black. They must not aggregate all ethnic groups under the label of Black. They should separate and monitor each group. You can’t tell me that the colored, Indians and Chinese endured Apartheid in an equal manner to Blacks. The typical executive in South Africa makes $80,000 per year. A typical Black makes $800 per year. This disparity is intolerable and must be dealt with immediately. Entrepreneurship and business development are the direct ways to correcting the situation.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:27pm On Oct 17, 2014
ThaVluit:
Weekend begins. I'm out! Have fun, y'all.
let me give you a parting weekend gift:


The South African government must set aside a pool of contracts for participants in the program to compete for. There can be some subcontracting also but prime contracting is the key to business growth. Develop large Black owned businesses and demand that they subcontract to other Black owned firms.

Black should be Black. They must not aggregate all ethnic groups under the label of Black. They should separate and monitor each group. You can’t tell me that the colored, Indians and Chinese endured Apartheid in an equal manner to Blacks. The typical executive in South Africa makes $80,000 per year. A typical Black makes $800 per year. This disparity is intolerable and must be dealt with immediately. Entrepreneurship and business development are the direct ways to correcting the situation.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Patchesagain: 2:36pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
let me give you a parting weekend gift:


The South African government must set aside a pool of contracts for participants in the program to compete for. There can be some subcontracting also but prime contracting is the key to business growth. Develop large Black owned businesses and demand that they subcontract to other Black owned firms.

Black should be Black. They must not aggregate all ethnic groups under the label of Black. They should separate and monitor each group. You can’t tell me that the colored, Indians and Chinese endured Apartheid in an equal manner to Blacks. The typical executive in South Africa makes $80,000 per year. A typical Black makes $800 per year. This disparity is intolerable and must be dealt with immediately. Entrepreneurship and business development are the direct ways to correcting the situation.

I fail to see how this makes Nigeria in any way better than South Africa

1 Like

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:38pm On Oct 17, 2014
ThaVluit:
Weekend begins. I'm out! Have fun, y'all.
this should keep you busy for the weekend:

Safety and security

The most basic function of the state is to provide for its citizens physical safety, protecting them from both aggressive citizens of other countries and from one another. On the national security front, so far, none of South Africa’s neighbours have attempted to invade, so it’s hard to tell how we’re doing, although there is reason to doubt our proficiency. As Du Plessis points out, the army has a very high rate of HIV infection – as this article by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service notes – which makes it a questionable fighting force. In addition, as the arms deal debacle has shown, procurement practices in the SADF aren’t all that gr
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:40pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
this should keep you busy for the weekend:

Safety and security

The most basic function of the state is to provide for its citizens physical safety, protecting them from both aggressive citizens of other countries and from one another. On the national security front, so far, none of South Africa’s neighbours have attempted to invade, so it’s hard to tell how we’re doing, although there is reason to doubt our proficiency. As Du Plessis points out, the army has a very high rate of HIV infection – as this article by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service notes – which makes it a questionable fighting force. In addition, as the arms deal debacle has shown, procurement practices in the SADF aren’t all that gr
where are all the Zulu mugus talking about SA military.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by ActivateKruger: 2:43pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
this should keep you busy for the weekend:

Safety and security

The most basic function of the state is to provide for its citizens physical safety, protecting them from both aggressive citizens of other countries and from one another. On the national security front, so far, none of South Africa’s neighbours have attempted to invade, so it’s hard to tell how we’re doing, although there is reason to doubt our proficiency. As Du Plessis points out, the army has a very high rate of HIV infection – as this article by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service notes – which makes it a questionable fighting force. In addition, as the arms deal debacle has shown, procurement practices in the SADF aren’t all that gr

You have an appetite for typing but you lack the ability to get the message across.

Once again an opportunity lost.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:44pm On Oct 17, 2014
Patchesagain:


I fail to see how this makes Nigeria in any way better than South Africa

look again, look hard and you will see.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Nobody: 2:45pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
let me give you a parting weekend gift:


The South African government must set aside a pool of contracts for participants in the program to compete for. There can be some subcontracting also but prime contracting is the key to business growth. Develop large Black owned businesses and demand that they subcontract to other Black owned firms.

Black should be Black. They must not aggregate all ethnic groups under the label of Black. They should separate and monitor each group. You can’t tell me that the colored, Indians and Chinese endured Apartheid in an equal manner to Blacks. The typical executive in South Africa makes $80,000 per year. A typical Black makes $800 per year. This disparity is intolerable and must be dealt with immediately. Entrepreneurship and business development are the direct ways to correcting the situation.

Lmaoo, where do you people get these from. average black earning $800, you're insane..
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 2:47pm On Oct 17, 2014
;
vdGeist:


Lmaoo, where do you people get these from. average black earning $800, you're insane..
grin grin the statistics and figures are all from your country. This isn't even international, it's pure local southafrican press
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Patchesagain: 2:50pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
; grin grin the statistics and figures are all from your country. This isn't even international, it's pure local southafrican press

But you cannot give us a citation?
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Nobody: 2:50pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
where are all the Zulu mugus talking about SA military.

My biafran friend, I told you go to the sexuality section, go through the thread and look if there's anything you've posted that others haven't.

Do you want us to start posting Google articles about Nigeria?
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by ActivateKruger: 2:50pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
; grin grin the statistics and figures are all from your country. This isn't even international, it's pure local southafrican press

Local South African press writes figures in Rands not Dollars.

Fail Again
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Patchesagain: 2:50pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
this should keep you busy for the weekend:

Safety and security

The most basic function of the state is to provide for its citizens physical safety, protecting them from both aggressive citizens of other countries and from one another. On the national security front, so far, none of South Africa’s neighbours have attempted to invade, so it’s hard to tell how we’re doing, although there is reason to doubt our proficiency. As Du Plessis points out, the army has a very high rate of HIV infection – as this article by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service notes – which makes it a questionable fighting force. In addition, as the arms deal debacle has shown, procurement practices in the SADF aren’t all that gr

Again, that is an opinion peice

and HIV infection rate in the SANDF is lower than in the general public
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by ActivateKruger: 2:53pm On Oct 17, 2014
and again its not called the SADF but the SANDF.

Failed Again.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Nobody: 2:58pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
; grin grin the statistics and figures are all from your country. This isn't even international, it's pure local southafrican press

Pls give me one article with those stats, again these have been discussed here already, so don't take yourself so seriously, i'm getting the impression that you feel that you're hitting slamduncks. You're boring.

there was even this thread below, you seem like a new comer to these SA threads, we've been discussing these for years.

www.nairaland.com/897396/where-south-africa-without-white/110
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by lezz(m): 3:20pm On Oct 17, 2014
ThaVluit:
Weekend begins. I'm out! Have fun, y'all.
this is the second largest slum in the whole of Africa , 2nd only to Kabira of Kenya. It is also the 7th biggest slum in the whole world. I present to you, my brothers the 2nd biggest slum in Africa , Khayelitsh of southafrica with almost 400 thousand people.This slum, located south of iKhusi Primary School on the Cape Flats of South Africa, was founded in 1985 and its population is the result of the historical apartheid and its end during the Second World War. A location of extreme poverty and disease, the biggest risk factors for this informal settlement are crime, AIDS and a huge 80% unemployment rate. Conditions here are so dismal that infestation has become a major and often over-looked problem. According to a gruesome article published by UK-based tabloid publication The Daily Mail in 2011, a baby was attacked here by one of the townships’ giant rats that can grow to as large as 3-feet long.
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by ActivateKruger: 3:27pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
this is the second largest slum in the whole of Africa , 2nd only to Kabira of Kenya. It is also the 7th biggest slum in the whole world. I present to you, my brothers the 2nd biggest slum in Africa , Khayelitsh of southafrica with almost 400 thousand people.This slum, located south of iKhusi Primary School on the Cape Flats of South Africa, was founded in 1985 and its population is the result of the historical apartheid and its end during the Second World War. A location of extreme poverty and disease, the biggest risk factors for this informal settlement are crime, AIDS and a huge 80% unemployment rate. Conditions here are so dismal that infestation has become a major and often over-looked problem. According to a gruesome article published by UK-based tabloid publication The Daily Mail in 2011, a baby was attacked here by one of the townships’ giant rats that can grow to as large as 3-feet long.

Stop posting garbage


Khayelisha...

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Nobody: 3:39pm On Oct 17, 2014
lezz:
this is the second largest slum in the whole of Africa , 2nd only to Kabira of Kenya. It is also the 7th biggest slum in the whole world. I present to you, my brothers the 2nd biggest slum in Africa , Khayelitsh of southafrica with almost 400 thousand people.This slum, located south of iKhusi Primary School on the Cape Flats of South Africa, was founded in 1985 and its population is the result of the historical apartheid and its end during the Second World War. A location of extreme poverty and disease, the biggest risk factors for this informal settlement are crime, AIDS and a huge 80% unemployment rate. Conditions here are so dismal that infestation has become a major and often over-looked problem. According to a gruesome article published by UK-based tabloid publication The Daily Mail in 2011, a baby was attacked here by one of the townships’ giant rats that can grow to as large as 3-feet long.

Yaaawnn, all these have been discussed don't take yourself too seriously, you're boring us

. Look through this thread and the other one, DieVluit has seen all these before.



70% Of Nigerians Live In Slums- UN grin grin grin

[img]http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/thumbs/1805c933-493c-4b85-be16-ad06eb342332/medium/slum-population-in-urban-africa_d7d6.jpg[/img]

www.nairaland.com/486531/up-70-nigerians-live-slums

2 Likes

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by MikeZA: 3:49pm On Oct 17, 2014
agaugust:

.
Nigerian military martial arts
.
That fails to deal with BH.

Now you went to bed with terrorists.

What happened to: we don't negotiate with terrorists?
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Nobody: 3:51pm On Oct 17, 2014
Mr lezz, everything you've posted has been posted before. Don't be excited. We've seen it all.

Go through this thread and other one I linked to . We can do this all day.... You won't shock anyone.

from this thread, this was posted.

over 70% of Nigerians live in slums grin grin

[img]http://grida.no/graphicslib/thumbs/1805c933-493c-4b85-be16-ad06eb342332/medium/slum-population-in-urban-africa_d7d6.jpg[/img]

http://blueprintng.com/new/2013/07/09/69-70-of-nigerians-still-live-in-slum-conditions-un/&sa=U&ei=rgdfUoO1C47b4AOroYH4BQ&ved=0CCcQFjAE&usg=AFQjCNHpbHmMZMZPdPa7MmsNAQPTI0ljZQ


SA housing stats
www.nairaland.com/attachments/1477419_housing_gifef3e99ee8a39365a0fcfe5bd7251d820
Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by MikeZA: 3:59pm On Oct 17, 2014
agaugust:

.
Nigerian military martial arts
.
I am sorry but I think you meant playing "karate" or grown man "rubbing" softly against each other. cheesy grin grin

Unarmed combat: Real men below cool cool cool cool. Bring your ill trained soldiers to SADC.

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by Nobody: 4:10pm On Oct 17, 2014
The Uselessness of the SANDF


South Africa’s Military Arms Troubles
October 16, 2014 - Uncategorized - African Military, South Africa

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is drowning in a sea of mismanagement, corruption, political manipulation and strategic myopia.

While this state of affairs will probably not result in an imminent ‘attack’ on the Union Buildings, as was the case in 2009 when justifiably angry rank-and-file soldiers protested over conditions of service, the ongoing fallout is much worse.


It’s hard to know where to begin but let’s start with the basics. Section 200(1) of the Constitution states that, “the defence force must be structured and managed as a disciplined military force”. If we take the standard dictionary definition of discipline to mean “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience”, then it is clear that those who are in charge of structuring and managing the SANDF are in serious breach of its core constitutional imperative.

There is a litany of such ‘indiscipline’. Despite a mountain of evidence stemming from the 1990’s arms deal detailing gross mismanagement and corruption involving SANDF and Department of Defence (DOD) officials as well as senior politicians, hardly any of those responsible have been held to even the most minimal of disciplinary standards.

The ongoing official investigation into the arms deal – the Seriti Commission – is turning out to be more of a whitewash than a clean-up. As has become the standard practice of SANDF and DOD officials as well as associated politicians, the main agenda of the Seriti Commission appears to be to ensure that the myriad ‘indisciplines’ are shielded from any meaningful democratic scrutiny and action.

When the SANDF deployed over 1000 soldiers to the DRC in June 2013 the generals and politicians spoke glowingly about the professionalism of South Africa’s defence forces and their contribution to ‘peace-keeping’ in Africa[b] but did not tell us that the soldiers lacked some of the most basic equipment. It was only through an associated court case later that the Minister of Defence was forced to admit that “our soldiers do not have tents … ”.[/b]

While the rank-and-file soldiers in conflict zones were being treated like 2nd class citizens, SANDF head honcho, Lt. General Solly Shoke spent over R100 000 of taxpayers money flying 1st class to a conference in Malaysia earlier this year.

The DOD has brazenly cast a veil of secrecy over its recent attempts to buy a new luxury VIP jet (no prize for guessing who the beneficiaries are) worth almost R2 billion. When parliamentary questions were asked, Defence Secretary Dr Sam Gulube noted that the matter was a “sensitive project” (read: classified) because it had been conveniently shifted to a ‘Strategic Capital Acquisition Master Plan’ project list, no doubt a secret itself. Public knowledge about a SANDF deal for purchasing over 200 armoured infantry vehicles worth close to R15 billion was zilch until the actions of some brave whistleblowers.


When opposition parliamentarians recently asked Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for further details of the SANDF acquisition projects she refused, stating that the information does not belong in the public domain. Not to be outdone in the secrecy stakes, Defence Secretary Gulube told parliament’s defence committee that any attempts to enforce greater scrutiny of the government’s arms procurement programmes would be a threat to national security.

All of this has to be set against the backdrop of the 2014 Defence Force Review which has been approved by the Cabinet and is now making its way through parliament’s labyrinthine corridors.

Despite receiving R42 billion in the 2014/15 budget and untold billions more continuing to be spent on the 1990s arms deal and on other acquisition projects that we know little to nothing about, the Review unequivocally acknowledges that the SANDF is in a “critical state of decline”. It lists a host of serious problems and crises:

The escalating costs associated with the purchase, use and maintenance of the 1990s arms deal programme has resulted in a majority of the fighter planes, helicopters, training jets and naval vessels purchased being mothballed. Those that are in use suffer from chronic under-use and a lack of technical/ maintenance personnel and trained pilots.

Spares, general equipment, ammunition stocks and fuel reserves are “generally depleted”. One instructive example of the resultant impact is that South Africa now has “little airspace or maritime domain awareness” (read: the SANDF can hardly track who and what is in South African airspace and waters).


Nearly 55% of the overall budget is spent on personnel costs, even though SANDF rank-and-file earn relatively little. Despite increased personnel spending, there is a massive shortage of competent personnel at all levels and those with scarce and professional skills are leaving at “concerning rates”.

Practical training and exercises have been cut to the bone such that the SANDF is unable to “execute [its] widening spectrum of tasks” while medical care to SANDF personnel is in a generalised state of crisis .

The SANDF suffers from “fragmented management and information systems [that] inhibit integrated and systemic decision making”.

Predictably though, the Review’s solution to these systemic crises of decision-making, strategic planning and human and financial management is to throw more money into the SANDF pit in order for it to carry out its “constitutional requirements”.

Those “requirements” are interpreted as revolving largely around a military “strategic posture” defined by the “the role that it wishes to play both regionally and continentally”. In other words not, as the actual Constitution states, “to defend and protect the Republic its territorial integrity and its people… ” but to satisfy a politically constructed and elite centred ‘need’ to play big brother in Africa.


We should all take the words of Andrew Feinstein, that fearless exposer and critic of the South African and global arms trade, to heart. He warns us that this ‘shadow world’ “often makes us poorer, not richer, less not more safe and governed not in our own interests but for the benefit of a small, self-serving elite, seemingly above the law, protected by the secrecy of national security and accountable to no one.”

Before it is too late, South Africans need to not only actively demand accountability for past ‘indisciplines’ and abuse of public funds and trust but ensure that our military forces and projects focus on what they are supposed to do – to serve and answer to, the people.

1 Like

Re: Who Has The Strongest Military In Africa? by MikeZA: 4:12pm On Oct 17, 2014
Henry120:
The Uselessness of the SANDF


South Africa’s Military Arms Troubles
October 16, 2014 - Uncategorized - African Military, South Africa

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is drowning in a sea of mismanagement, corruption, political manipulation and strategic myopia.

While this state of affairs will probably not result in an imminent ‘attack’ on the Union Buildings, as was the case in 2009 when justifiably angry rank-and-file soldiers protested over conditions of service, the ongoing fallout is much worse.


It’s hard to know where to begin but let’s start with the basics. Section 200(1) of the Constitution states that, “the defence force must be structured and managed as a disciplined military force”. If we take the standard dictionary definition of discipline to mean “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience”, then it is clear that those who are in charge of structuring and managing the SANDF are in serious breach of its core constitutional imperative.

There is a litany of such ‘indiscipline’. Despite a mountain of evidence stemming from the 1990’s arms deal detailing gross mismanagement and corruption involving SANDF and Department of Defence (DOD) officials as well as senior politicians, hardly any of those responsible have been held to even the most minimal of disciplinary standards.

The ongoing official investigation into the arms deal – the Seriti Commission – is turning out to be more of a whitewash than a clean-up. As has become the standard practice of SANDF and DOD officials as well as associated politicians, the main agenda of the Seriti Commission appears to be to ensure that the myriad ‘indisciplines’ are shielded from any meaningful democratic scrutiny and action.

When the SANDF deployed over 1000 soldiers to the DRC in June 2013 the generals and politicians spoke glowingly about the professionalism of South Africa’s defence forces and their contribution to ‘peace-keeping’ in Africa[b] but did not tell us that the soldiers lacked some of the most basic equipment. It was only through an associated court case later that the Minister of Defence was forced to admit that “our soldiers do not have tents … ”.[/b]

While the rank-and-file soldiers in conflict zones were being treated like 2nd class citizens, SANDF head honcho, Lt. General Solly Shoke spent over R100 000 of taxpayers money flying 1st class to a conference in Malaysia earlier this year.

The DOD has brazenly cast a veil of secrecy over its recent attempts to buy a new luxury VIP jet (no prize for guessing who the beneficiaries are) worth almost R2 billion. When parliamentary questions were asked, Defence Secretary Dr Sam Gulube noted that the matter was a “sensitive project” (read: classified) because it had been conveniently shifted to a ‘Strategic Capital Acquisition Master Plan’ project list, no doubt a secret itself. Public knowledge about a SANDF deal for purchasing over 200 armoured infantry vehicles worth close to R15 billion was zilch until the actions of some brave whistleblowers.


When opposition parliamentarians recently asked Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for further details of the SANDF acquisition projects she refused, stating that the information does not belong in the public domain. Not to be outdone in the secrecy stakes, Defence Secretary Gulube told parliament’s defence committee that any attempts to enforce greater scrutiny of the government’s arms procurement programmes would be a threat to national security.

All of this has to be set against the backdrop of the 2014 Defence Force Review which has been approved by the Cabinet and is now making its way through parliament’s labyrinthine corridors.

Despite receiving R42 billion in the 2014/15 budget and untold billions more continuing to be spent on the 1990s arms deal and on other acquisition projects that we know little to nothing about, the Review unequivocally acknowledges that the SANDF is in a “critical state of decline”. It lists a host of serious problems and crises:

The escalating costs associated with the purchase, use and maintenance of the 1990s arms deal programme has resulted in a majority of the fighter planes, helicopters, training jets and naval vessels purchased being mothballed. Those that are in use suffer from chronic under-use and a lack of technical/ maintenance personnel and trained pilots.

Spares, general equipment, ammunition stocks and fuel reserves are “generally depleted”. One instructive example of the resultant impact is that South Africa now has “little airspace or maritime domain awareness” (read: the SANDF can hardly track who and what is in South African airspace and waters).


Nearly 55% of the overall budget is spent on personnel costs, even though SANDF rank-and-file earn relatively little. Despite increased personnel spending, there is a massive shortage of competent personnel at all levels and those with scarce and professional skills are leaving at “concerning rates”.

Practical training and exercises have been cut to the bone such that the SANDF is unable to “execute [its] widening spectrum of tasks” while medical care to SANDF personnel is in a generalised state of crisis .

The SANDF suffers from “fragmented management and information systems [that] inhibit integrated and systemic decision making”.

Predictably though, the Review’s solution to these systemic crises of decision-making, strategic planning and human and financial management is to throw more money into the SANDF pit in order for it to carry out its “constitutional requirements”.

Those “requirements” are interpreted as revolving largely around a military “strategic posture” defined by the “the role that it wishes to play both regionally and continentally”. In other words not, as the actual Constitution states, “to defend and protect the Republic its territorial integrity and its people… ” but to satisfy a politically constructed and elite centred ‘need’ to play big brother in Africa.


We should all take the words of Andrew Feinstein, that fearless exposer and critic of the South African and global arms trade, to heart. He warns us that this ‘shadow world’ “often makes us poorer, not richer, less not more safe and governed not in our own interests but for the benefit of a small, self-serving elite, seemingly above the law, protected by the secrecy of national security and accountable to no one.”

Before it is too late, South Africans need to not only actively demand accountability for past ‘indisciplines’ and abuse of public funds and trust but ensure that our military forces and projects focus on what they are supposed to do – to serve and answer to, the people.
Lmao what a baloney.

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