SA army problems: Training camps in Cuba and R5.8 billion budget cuts
The SANDF is shipping army personnel off to Cuba in an attempt to minimise local expenditure.
by Luke Daniel
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Ð APRIL 14: SANDF enjoying during the 2017 Easter Rand Show at the t the Johannesburg Expo Centre on April 14, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. This event showcases products like plethora of performances and events, the show boasts of the best of exhibitors and presenters who showcase their products and services to millions of visitors. (Photo by Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)
The South African National Defence force (SANDF) is struggling under the weight of massive budget cuts, which in turn are draining the army's resources and straining its service delivery duties.
These are major concerns addressed by Chief of the SANDF, General Solly Shoke. The general was responding to journalists on Tuesday, regarding the SANDF's overseas training camps in Cuba.
Read: SANDF General says his men are 'ready to donner' SA's gangsters
As reported by Times Live, Shoke confirmed the existence of international military academies, saying that these Cuban bases were necessary 'to create internal capacity' within South Africa.
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Shoke's concerns regarding budgetary constraints relate directly to the Cuban training camps – according to the general, South Africa just does not have enough money to train all its own personnel locally.
SANDF budget cut by R5.8 billion
Earlier in the year, the defence minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, bemoaned budget cuts which were hampering the defence force's effectiveness. In 2018 the SANDF's budget was cut by R5.8 billion.
Commenting on recent budget cuts affecting the national defence force, Shoke indicated that they would be tightening their belts, saying:
"The Cubans are training our people. There are many being trained in other institutions so that we can have the mastery and stop outsourcing. We are even considering producing our own food so that we [will] be able to survive' with these budgetary cuts. If it goes on like this' it is going to be difficult."
Smuggling weapons into Cuba
The SANDF has been in the news for other nefarious operations involving the contravention of South African Airways (SAA) non-munitions protocol.
Read: SARS denies claims that the SANDF was trying to smuggle weapons into Cuba
The Rapport newspaper recently published an article stating that an SAA aircraft' chartered by the SANDF to transport Cuban technicians, had been intercepted and halted at Waterkloof air force base, following the discovery of R4 and R5 rifles with ammunition aboard.
SARS spokesperson, Sicelo Mkosi, has since denied that his organisation had discovered ammunition aboard the aircraft and that the flight's delay was purely due to routine maintenance.
Shoke also dismissed the accusations of weapon smuggling, saying:
"Somebody in our own department decided to leak information which was not correct. These things were not being exported. That is our equipment which is no longer in use. It is our own equipment. We are training our own people."
Tags: CubaSANDF