The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has to start paying attention to discipline and crime in its own ranks before it loses the public’s respect completely, says dr. Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus spokesperson for defence.
Today, with the budget vote debate of defence and military veterans, dr. Groenewald said that the minister and various others make a fuss over cyber crime, while they should actually be paying attention to normal crime within the SANDF itself.
“I am very worried about crime in the SANDF. When I asked the minister about the theft of arms in the defence force for the financial years 2013 to 2015, the answer I got was that about 33 000 rounds of ammunition and 18 firearms, including dangerous assault weapons, were stolen in that time.
“Last year, during this debate, I made mention of the incident that took place in Bloemfontein where attackers overwhelmed defence force guards while they were sleeping on duty, but were supposed to be on guard with firearms and live ammunition.
“Recently, at the naval base at Simons Town, criminals broke in and stole 72 hand grenades along with one or two assault weapons and got away with it.
“Does the minister realise what 72 hand grenades can do? Just look at what is happening in the world where acts of terror lead to explosions amongst people. Does the minister realise the possible implications of this robbery?
“At the ammunition depot at Jan Kempdorp, criminals camped out next to the boundary fence for two weeks. They dug a hole underneath the boundary fence and stole a cable from inside the depot in that time.
“In Kayelitsha, criminals attacked a military base, for all practical purposes, and stole weapons. That means that the defence force is not respected by criminals. Criminals are not afraid of the defence force anymore.
“If this is what a defence force has come to, the public must have lost its respect for it. And the big problem is discipline. A defence force cannot function without discipline.
“What happened to those guards who slept on duty and were robbed? They were reprimanded, but they should have been dismissed.
“The poor discipline in and poor management of the national defence force is such that it is actually contributing to the crime in our country and that is very bad for the reputation of the SANDF,” says dr. Groenewald.
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