Navy chief's disciplinary now in Cyril, Motshekga's hands

DEFENCE and Military Veterans Deputy Minister Bantu Holomisa kept his cards close to the chest about the disciplinary proceedings against the Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese for decrying the defunding of the army.

Holomisa said Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga has already started the process to consult on the issue of disciplinary action against the navy boss.

He said the disciplining of Lobese depended on Motshekga and the commander-in-chief, President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“Until such time that they had engaged him, we will not be in a position to respond to your question, because now if I attempt to address that question, it will be like I am basing my answer on high level gossip.”

Lobese recently criticised the underfunding of the country’s defence force, questioning whether those responsible for cutting the Defence budget “may be directly or indirectly influenced” by criminal networks benefiting from weakened maritime surveillance.

Holomisa agreed that there were certain issues Lobese raised that had also been highlighted previously by the department.

“We cannot deny that some of the issues, if not all, which have been raised by the Chief of Navy, have reached this institution for many years.”

He cited underfunding of the defence, saying in 1998, a decision was taken by Parliament to no longer invest in military security but more on social security.

“As a result of that, the Department of Defence suffered a lot.”

He also said Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana recently stated that the National Treasury had not funded the defence force because they have had to bail out state-owned enterprises.

“There are issues we need to swallow our pride at some stage and decide what we want to have in this country when it comes to security related matters, and I hope that the State Security Council, or those who sit in the State Security Council, discuss the security threat analysis.”

Earlier, Holomisa said the steps to address the challenges of the South African Navy and the broader defence force did not begin recently, but were initiated well before the approval of 2015 Defence Review.

The document was thoroughly consulted across the Department of Defence, the executive, and both Houses of Parliament.

Holomisa said the department has suffered cumulative inflation-related cuts amounting to R63 billion since the 2017 financial year, which has significantly constrained its ability to modernise and sustain its capabilities.

“Despite this constraint, the department has consistently engaged with the National Treasury, the Standing Committee on Appropriations, the Joint Standing Committee on Defence and the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans to secure support for rejuvenating prime mission equipment and modernising the force.”

Cape Times