Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga has warned that her department faces a projected R3.3 billion over-expenditure on employee compensation, saying continued underfunding poses a serious threat to its sustainability.
Motshekga made the warning while answering oral questions from MPs in the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday.
She said the Defence Department had already overspent by about R3 billion in the previous financial year.
Without intervention, the projected overspend could rise to R4 billion in 2027/28 and R4.6 billion in 2028/29.
Employee costs put pressure on budget
Motshekga said the department had identified measures to contain spending, including encouraging eligible employees to take early retirement and offering incentives for staff to leave.
However, she warned that these measures would not solve the underlying funding problem.
According to Motshekga, the department’s human resources allocation has failed to keep pace with salary increases, inflation and other costs.
She said the funding shortfall had repeatedly been raised with National Treasury, Cabinet and Parliament.
SANDF still needs younger recruits
Motshekga said simply reducing staff numbers would not resolve the crisis because the South African National Defence Force still needs younger personnel to maintain its capabilities.
The department currently recruits about 5,000 people every two years, which she said was below the level it would prefer.
She said the Defence Department therefore had to balance limiting recruitment with ensuring the SANDF remained sustainable.
Motshekga stressed that the ultimate solution depended on adequate funding from Parliament and Cabinet.
Minister rejects blame on generals
Motshekga also rejected suggestions that senior employees and generals were responsible for the financial pressure.
She said she was not aware of inflated salaries among generals and argued that the bigger problem was insufficient funding for the responsibilities assigned to the defence force.
She pointed to ageing and non-functioning equipment, including aircraft and ships, as well as deteriorating infrastructure.
Motshekga said the department could not meet its responsibilities without adequate resources and urged Parliament and the NCOP to support efforts to address the SANDF’s funding and capability gaps.