Question NW490 to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans

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30 August 2019 - NW490

Profile picture: Marais, Mr S

Marais, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans

(1)With reference to the name changes of the Reserve Force Units, (a)(i) what was the costs related to the name change process to date and (ii) from which budget allocation was the process funded and (b)(i) what will the financial costs be related to the (aa) changing of names, (bb) new insignia including beret/cap badges and (cc) flashes as well as colours and (ii) from which budget allocation will this be funded; (2) is this a higher priority expense as compared to the expense to increase troops and resources deployed to our land borders and the replacement of essential SA National Defence Force equipment; if not, why is this expenses still prioritised over the essentially required expenses?

Reply:

1. a (i) No additional costs were incurred since the start of the name review process because information briefs and guidelines provided for the process, were issued during the normal scheduled meetings with SA Army Formations and Units. Furthermore, detailed instructions and guidelines were also issued as part of the normal processes in the SA Army.

(ii) The process was funded from the normal command and control budget without any additional costs allocated for the name review process.

b. It is estimated that the total cost to implement the approved Name Review Process will be Rm8. This includes new insignia beret/cap badges, colours as well as other requirements for example signage etc. This objective is currently one of the many lower priority unfunded objectives of the SA Army. The implementation of the Name Review Process will be phased in over a three-year period, as and when funds become available.

2. This is not a higher priority expense compared to the expense of increased troops and resources deployed to our land borders and the replacement of essential SANDF equipment. That is why this objective is currently indicated as unfunded. It will be phased in over a three-year period as and when funds become available.

This objective must be seen as a transformational imperative that is long outstanding. Although it cannot be phased in immediately due to budget constraints, just the mere fact that these new names have been approved in principle will contribute to unit cohesion and ensure that the rich and diverse military history of South Africa is now reflected in a balanced way. It was the aim of the name review process to address this omission in a sensible and innovative manner, without any additional costs, where in stakeholders were consulted over the past 5 years.

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