Training key to SA's defence agenda

Speaking to the Press Club following the presentation of her department's Budget Vote in Parliament, the minister said equipping the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was a priority for maintaining the country's own security and to helping fellow African countries.

"One way to improve is training, training and retraining to meet the challenges," Mapisa-Nqakula said on Friday, 24 May 2013.

To this end, South Africa was expected to develop capable leaders within its defence ranks, leaders with a high level of discipline and sense of duty.

In her budget vote, Mapisa-Nqakula said the defence force was actively recruiting young people through the Military Skills Development System and University Reserve Training Programme.

"We seek to increase partnerships with tertiary institutions to train defence force members and recruit talented students, especially in technical fields."

South Africa had also recently concluded a training contract for its defence members with the Russian Federation as part of efforts to expand the country's international training partnership. This will cover some of the essential skills, particularly the training of pilots.

The minister underscored the importance of the country investing prudently and nurturing the human capital of its defence force.

"Any government that does not look after its soldiers will run into trouble. That to me is fundamental," Mapisa-Nqakula said.

Failure to do this, she said, could result in what was happening in the Eastern DRC. The group M23, which was formed by former soldiers in the Congolese army, was fighting government forces. Last year, M23 forces captured the city of Goma and held it for two weeks.

Reviewing defence

Mapisa-Nqakula said the events in the Central African Republic, where 13 South African soldiers were killed while fighting rebels, had led to a reappraisal of the SANDF's intelligence-gathering capabilities.

The minister had outlined in her Budget Vote other issues, including accidents involving military aircraft, and the recent unauthorised use of Waterkloof Air Force Base for private purposes, which she said had exposed the challenges facing SA's defence and security environment.

She said the department has had to conduct "deep introspection and review, the result of which will have serious implications for the work and organisation of our armed forces, particularly during this financial year".

The Defence Review was currently sitting with Cabinet, and had already taken into consideration some of the weaknesses in tactical planning, design, legislation and operation requirements, which Mapisa-Nqakula said had led to these challenges.

The SANDF was now preparing to align its activities to accommodate the implementation of the Defence Review's recommendations.

Mapisa-Nqakula said lessons learnt in the CAR were being used to assist the SANDF in planning, preparing forces, and the deploying of troops in current and future operations.

In turn, the minister said other countries on the continent could learn from South Africa's political transition, as well as the integration of statutory and non-statutory forces into a single defence force.

"They have a few lessons to take from our experience. Our integration process of [post-apartheid] set a precedent for the African continent. It was clear to us that the process was in the national interest, a common purpose of nation-building in South Africa," Mapisa-Nqakula said.

On whether South Africa would send troops to the DRC, the minister said South Africa "will not go it alone". SA troops would form part of an Intervention Brigade, which had the blessings of the United Nations.

The minister further said South Africa would boost its airlift capabilities, as National Treasury has made funds available for the purchase of VVIP aircraft. The purchases, she said, would be made in compliance with the Public Finance Management Act.