Question NW1156 to the President of the Republic
15 May 2023 - NW1156
Komane, Ms RN to ask the President of the Republic
Whether he has found that the amount of R166 562 058 that will be spent with regard to the employment of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) for one month up to 17 April 2023 in anticipation of violent protests that did not materialise was justified; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what justification is there for the costs of the one-month employment of the SANDF in light of the peaceful protests that only lasted for one day?
Reply:
The expenditure for the employment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to safeguard and protect National Key Points and critical infrastructure was justified. The deployment of the SANDF in support of the SAPS provided the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies with adequate capacity to create conditions in which the protests organised for 20 March 2023 were conducted in a safe and secure environment.
The employment assisted in providing safe and secure conditions for all the people in the country who were not participating in the protests to safely continue with their normal activities.
Soon after the successful completion of the security cluster effort to ensure a safe, secure and peaceful environment before and after 20 March 2023, the SANDF withdrew from that particular deployment and continued with the safeguarding and protection of Eskom power stations in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Free State under the same Presidential Authority for Operation Prosper.