MINISTER MOTSHEKGA, SANDF OWE SOUTH AFRICANS AN APOLOGY

WHEN President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Angie Motshekga the Defence Minister, there was little hope that things would change for the better for this crucial department. 

That skepticism was informed by her track record as Basic Education Minister. It was during her long  stint in that ministry that some of the worst stories were exposed. 

We are referring to incidents where children drowned in pit toilets while that department was among those allocated a huge chunk of the budget. Many will not forget about the time children were on the verge of not receiving their daily meals at school because contractors were not paid in time.

A drive to some rural schools in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape confirmed the existence of mud schools, with children not having the basics such as desks and chairs. 

Then there were scandals involving the delivery or the lack thereof of stationery including textbooks before schools opened. We will not talk about the quality of education our children received and continue to receive in public schools because that should be blamed on her party’s failure, the ANC. 

Nonetheless, Motshekga’s track record suggests that she was not the right person to turn the fortunes of our defence force around. 

For a moment, forget the saga involving the killing of our troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this year and focus on the events here at home. 

The SANDF’s response to the deadly Eastern Cape deserves much scrutiny and Motshekga must tell the families of the victims why it only responded to the disaster seven days after having been called to assist.

The country equally deserves to know why the Oryx helicopter, a  medium utility aircraft essential for rescue missions, was not immediately available to be deployed during the flooding.

Of course the Eastern Cape government owes South Africans an explanation for only requesting assistance from the SANDF on the day the tragedy struck, when it had enough warnings about what was to come. 

Above everything else, Motshekga and the SANDF top brass owe the country an apology. An apology for not helping minimise the impact of one of the worst tragedies in recent history. Our SANDF can’t be the first to respond to other countries’ problems then be spectators when tragedy strikes at home.

CAPE TIMES