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Helping SA defend itself
The Citizen
|March 20, 2025
Obligation: Govt should ensure military is capable of protecting it
In January, 13 South African soldiers died fighting Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were under-equipped, undertrained and not prepared for combat.
In the 2023-24 financial year, the department of defence squandered R3.33 billion in unauthorised spending, R977.5 million in irregular spending and R50.9 million in fruitless spending.
The overall 2024-25 budget was R51.1 billion, with the final tally being R55.8 billion.
And all the SANDF has to show for it is 18 dead South Africans, since they were ill-fatedly deployed in the DRC.
Thousands of troops are now trapped in Goma. At the time of writing, there was no clear plan on how to get them out.
This story is from the March 20, 2025 edition of The Citizen.
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