The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) welcomes the Government of National Unity’s recent commitment to revitalise the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

Last month, the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans released a statement saying it would prioritise securing funding for the SANDF.

The committee said that it believes that securing proper funding for the SANDF is of utmost urgency and expressed concern that its deployment, specifically as part of the Southern African Development Community mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), remains unfunded.

“As the defence and security industry body we are pleased that our calls to prioritise the SANDF have been heard . . . the Portfolio Committee’s announcement is a step in the right direction. The defence industry represents increased opportunity for our economy and has the potential to contribute about 3.5% to our GDP, which would make a meaningful contribution toward addressing the country’s socioeconomic challenges,” AMD CEO Sandile Ndlovu said in response to the portfolio committee announcement.

Ndlovu cited South African Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga’s budget speech on July 15, in which she said that the department was “robustly engaging with the National Treasury on a common way to meet the Defence Force’s medium-term capital budget, including the vital repair and maintenance of critical prime mission equipment and the exploitation of evolving technologies”.

She added that the proposed spending on new technology by the department was an encouraging and welcome shift.

“South Africa’s defence industry produces world-class defence and security products and solutions for governments around the world and it is only fitting that those products and solutions benefit our own soldiers,” Motshekga commented.

Ndlovu noted that about 95% of the armaments and equipment produced locally are shipped to global markets, contributing significantly to their ability to protect and defend their countries against internal and external threats.

He added that AMD was encouraged by news from the Minister’s office that the department had already met with President Cyril Ramaphosa to look specifically into the SANDF’s funding, resulting in National Treasury allocating R2-billion in funding from the National Revenue Fund to defray the costs of the SANDF peace mission in the DRC.

“This level of engagement, along with the commitment to finalise and implement the 2019 South African Defence Review, should be commended by all. It also highlights the need for a national dialogue on defence and security similar to the Inaugural Safety and Security Townhall which we hosted in May. We hope that this renewed recognition [will continue] in the Medium-Term Budget Speech in October and the Budget Speech in February next year,” he said.

Ndlovu stressed that the industry is pleased to see a renewed and continuous focus on the defence forces that necessarily results in building defence capabilities of the future.

“A robust local manufacturing capability will bolster our overall defence capabilities. In addition, increased spending will mean new equipment, better training for our soldiers and the attraction of new talent, especially our youth. The commitments coming out of the government are positive and bode well for the future of the defence industry,” he concluded.