Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
25 June 2024 | 11:00 CAT
2 min read

South African Aerospace, Maritime, and Defence Industries Association (AMD) CEO Sandile Ndlovu has called for urgent investment in the country’s defence force.

In an open letter to the next, yet-to-be-appointed Defence Minister, Ndlovu emphasised the need to revamp national defence capabilities, highlighting that South Africa’s defence spending is just 0.7% of GDP, far below the international norm of 2%.

He proposed a three-pronged approach: enhancing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) capabilities, partnering with the private sector for funding, and supporting local defence industries.

“There are two primary objectives, one being a drastic increase in the funding of the South African National Defence Force and security cluster, and it is an infusion of young and fresh blood into the Defence Force to make our force agile, responsive and transformed age and national demographics wise,” he said.

Ndlovu highlighted that the National Defence Force has faced severe underfunding over recent years, resulting in a significant deterioration of defence capabilities. It is clear that relying solely on state funding will not suffice to meet all the requirements of the security sector.

“We are calling for a novel idea of introducing private funding. We have seen this model work within the road sector and infrastructure as well as the health department. We are calling for the same in the security space. We want a more sustainable funding model,” he said.

Ndlovu advocates increasing the defence budget to at least 1% of GDP and suggests a private-public funding model to address fiscal constraints and stimulate domestic defence production.

He emphasised that the SANDF is AMD’s primary client, noting significant lapses in equipment maintenance and the replacement of obsolete systems. As a result, some equipment is now unusable for its intended purposes.

“Some of the systems are no longer available for utilisation by their respective services. These challenges affect the SANDF’s operational ability to respond to challenges when called upon by the president,” he said.

Ndlovu highlighted consensus among all parties that national security should be free from political interference. He stressed the urgent need for comprehensive improvements to enhance the country’s security, expressing optimism that the new administration will enact significant reforms.

“We want to be part of those changes and shape the security operations of the country that works for all South Africans, and our borders have protection the need to control the flow of goods and people in and out of the country,” he said.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Habib Bobat and AMD CEO Sandile Ndlovu here.