Image Source: Polity
Local – The South African National Defence Force has collapsed, according to Defence Analyst Ricardo Teixeira, who says the military is no longer underfunded but is now operating without the means to function. Teixeira described an air force with minimal aircraft availability, an army able to muster only a fraction of its equipment, and a navy that cannot deploy.
He drew a sharp distinction between underfunding and what he called “unfunding,” warning that the SANDF can barely cover salaries, let alone maintain equipment or run operations.
“It has collapsed. It is not underfunded. It is an unfunded mandate. If all you can afford to pay are salaries and you have very little money left over for operations, for maintenance, for equipment, that is not underfunding. That is unfunding.”
Journey To Greatness Criticised as Vague and Directionless
The Journey to Greatness, the defence force’s 30-year strategy document, has been criticised as heavy on jargon and light on substance, despite running to 322 pages. Teixeira said the document fails to set out a clear starting point or an end goal and criticised it for describing a force that is inward-looking and militia-like rather than one built for deterrence, continental protection or regional security.
“It is called the journey, but at no point does it define a desired end state or a start point. It manages to plot out a direction without saying where we are going and where we are starting from.”
Funding Model Exposes Deeper Strategic Flaws
The funding model behind the strategy points to a deeper structural problem in how South Africa approaches defence planning. Teixeira argued that the force appears to be shaped by what the state can afford rather than by a clearly defined military purpose, a pattern he linked to more than three decades of policy under the ANC government.
“It’s more designed around the latter, and that is the fundamental flaw with this document, in my opinion, and the fundamental flaw with the ANC government’s security policy, is that there is no strategic outlook.”
Teixeira called for a full skills and lifestyle audit of defence force leadership, followed by a strategic plan that clearly defines the military’s purpose before determining costs and capabilities. He said South Africa currently lacks such a plan.
