{"id":95452,"date":"2025-02-27T10:17:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=95452"},"modified":"2025-02-27T10:17:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:17:47","slug":"public-interest-sa-condemns-parliamentary-defence-committee-chairpersons-remarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/public-interest-sa-condemns-parliamentary-defence-committee-chairpersons-remarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Interest SA Condemns Parliamentary Defence Committee Chairperson\u2019s Remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n27 February 2025 | 10:08 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

Defence and Military veterans parliamentary committee chairperson Dakota Legoete. Picture: Jonisayi Maromo \/ IOL<\/p><\/div>\n

Public Interest South Africa has strongly condemned remarks made by Parliament\u2019s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans Chairperson, Dakota Legoete, during his recent appearance on SABC. The organisation decried Legoete\u2019s comments as an attempt to deflect from the government\u2019s ongoing failure to adequately support the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).<\/p>\n

Tebogho Khaas, speaking on behalf of Public Interest SA, stated that Legoete\u2019s criticism of Lieutenant General Maphaha\u2019s remarks about South Africa\u2019s porous borders and military underfunding is misplaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was baffling that Legoete lamented General Mpapa\u2019s comments when he merely articulated what is common knowledge among South Africans. The lack of funding for border security directly contributes to rising crime rates,\u201d Khaas told Radio Islam International<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Khaas pointed out that while Legoete admitted the military\u2019s budget constraints are a reality, his assertion that General Maphaha\u2019s used an inappropriate platform to voice these concerns is unfounded. The General made his comments at a funeral for fallen soldiers, an occasion where, according to Khaas, it was appropriate to discuss the dire state of military resources and accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe General, as the head of military health services, has a responsibility to ensure medical and logistical support for soldiers. If troops are not receiving adequate medical care or repatriation in a timely manner, families deserve answers,\u201d Khaas stressed.<\/p>\n

Public Interest SA further criticised the lack of accountability regarding delays in the repatriation of soldiers, noting that previous commitments had not been met. \u201cFamilies were left in limbo for weeks with no clear communication on when their loved ones would be brought home,\u201d Khaas stated.<\/p>\n

Additionally, concerns were raised about the SANDF\u2019s overall preparedness. \u201cWe portray ourselves as a well-equipped force, but in reality, our military lacks essential resources, from aircraft to properly maintained equipment,\u201d Khaas added. He cited the absence of air cover for peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as evidence of inadequate support for troops.<\/p>\n

Haas also questioned the political will to address these challenges. \u201cParliamentary hearings have failed to demand accountability from the Defence Ministry. Even during a critical session, the minister appeared disengaged,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The organisation called for immediate reforms to improve funding, transparency, and military readiness. \u201cWhen funds meant for defence are misappropriated, it is the ordinary soldiers who suffer,\u201d Khaas concluded.<\/p>\n

Public Interest SA remains firm in its stance that the government must take urgent action to ensure the SANDF is equipped to safeguard the nation\u2019s borders and fulfil its responsibilities in peacekeeping operations.<\/p>\n

Listen to Mufti Yusuf Moosagie’s and Tebogho Khaas’s full interview on Your World Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 27 February 2025 | 10:08 CAT Public Interest South Africa has strongly condemned remarks made by Parliament\u2019s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans Chairperson, Dakota Legoete, during his recent appearance on SABC. The organisation decried Legoete\u2019s comments as an attempt to deflect from the government\u2019s ongoing failure to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":95453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-27-101036.jpg?fit=562%2C367&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-oPy","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-13 00:42:10","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}