Question NW1896 to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans

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07 January 2025 - NW1896

Profile picture: Trollip, Mr A

Trollip, Mr A to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans

1. Given the recent appropriation of an additional R2,1 billion under section 16 of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement for the seemingly never-ending deployment of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), what is the detailed breakdown of how the additional appropriation will be allocated, including anticipated expenses in the areas of a. logistics, b. personnel, c. equipment maintenance, d. allowances, and e. other operational costs associated with the extended deployment; 2. whether, given the current resource constraints facing the SANDF within the Republic, she has found the ongoing commitment in the DRC to be a prudent allocation of resources for the SANDF; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; 3. whether she has found that the resources for the SANDF in the DRC are aligned with the requirements for exceptional expenditure under section 16 of the specified act, which mandates that such spending must address needs of an exceptional nature that would prejudice the public interest if postponed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what metrics were measured to reach the criterion of exceptional in this case; 4. whether there is a projected date for the bringing home of all SANDF troops in the DRC; if not, what are the reasons for such uncertainty, if so, what are the key strategic objectives that must be achieved for the deployment to end?

Reply:

The SA National Defence Force's (SANDF's) reduced requirement for the deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), aptly referred to as the Southem African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), is R 2,3 billion opposed to a full requirement of R4,2 billion. Although funds must, out of necessity, be prioritised in accordance with the dynamics of the operational situation in the theatre (the DRC), utilisation is influenced by the stipulated requirement. R828 million is allocated and committed for the human resource allowances for the full complement of 2 900 soldiers; R387 million for operating costs (such as rations, water, fuel, oil, and lubricants, consumables and jamming equipment, to count but some); R156 million for the landward (SA Army) specialised and critical ammunition and other commodities; RI 15 million for air capability assets (rotary and fixed wing, aviation fuel and navigation equipment); R40 million for appropriate maritime assets (such as multi-purpose patrol boats and a mobile diver detection system); R74 million for required military health support (such as medical consumables, pharmaceuticals, gas masks, chemical, biological and radiation detectors, respirators and related spares); R24 million for situational awareness assets by defence intelligence such as unmanned aerial systems (drones); and R665 million for helicopter chartering. Actual expenditure on these can only be known after the deployment.

Employment of SANDF military resources is not only a product of joint decisions by the region's multilateral institutions, such as the SADC leadership structures, which the RSA is a part of in terms of the SADC Mutual Defence Pact, but it is also directed by the President of the Republic (Presidential Minute No 380 of 2023), as provided for by section 201(2)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, read with section 93 of the Defence Act (Act 42 of 2002). The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans is indebted to the direction given by the aforesaid.

The decision to deploy military capabilities from SADC countries was effected by competent structures within the SADC framework. The initial decision to deploy these capabilities was taken on 8 May 2023 by the SADC Extraordinary Troika Summit and the Force Intervention Brigade troop-contributing countries in Windhoek, Namibia, and reiterated during the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Governments held in Luanda, Republic of Angola, on 17 August 2023. Part of the objectives of the mission is the deployment of credible and effective SANDF force elements to assist in the protection of displaced civilians and those faced by imminent physical violence, to protect critical infrastructure, personnel and equipment, to conduct offensive actions against illegal armed groups, to conduct civil-military activities, and to engage with communities, and also to support the DRC in the implementation of the Disamament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Capacity Programme (DDRCP). It is envisaged that the mission will discontinue and the SANDF will retum back to the RSA when peace, stability, safety and security are restored in the DRC, and the authority of the DRC government is retained. The SADC leadership structure will make the final call to which the RSA will be indebted.