SANDF in eye of the storm
The army is a national asset that faithfully represents the society it serves in every regard
MIDNIGHT, September 30 marked the end of the biggest ever call up of the SA National Defence Force in its 26- year history.
In fact, Operation Notlela was perhaps the biggest ever readiness exercise in living South African memory, but then again, the threat that we faced was unlike anything in living global memory.
The advent of Covid- 19 was an unprecedented public health crisis that would go on to affect the entire world, rapidly moving from hospital emergency rooms to corporate boardrooms, devastating many in the process. It has disrupted and upended everything we knew – and we shall be dealing with the legacy of all of this for generations to come.
Through it all, the men and women of the SANDF, regulars, reserves and auxiliaries, have been steadfast in their duties across all arms and services. Our soldiers have kept the peace and ensured the tough lockdown regulations were upheld to flatten the curve of coronavirus infection – and in some cases actually break the virus’s transmission altogether.
Our medical specialists have stepped in to assist front- line staff from the Health Department when they were in real danger of being overwhelmed by the surge in patients.
Our military engineers especially have helped avert potential humanitarian crises, purifying and distributing more than 23 million litres of drinking water and literally building bridges to prevent communities either dying of thirst or being cut off from the rest of the country.
Throughout all this, our other commitments to the nation have been upheld and met. We have continued to ensure South Africa’s territorial integrity, guarding our land borders, monitoring our air space and patrolling our seas. Our troops have interdicted criminals smuggling drugs and contraband from neighbouring countries and prevented items stolen here at home from being shipped to foreign markets.
We have continued to provide one third of the strength of the unique Force Intervention Brigade ( FIB), the UN’S only offensive mandated unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our intelligence specialists have also continued to monitor and analyse any potential threats to our country, working hand in hand with their civilian counterparts, while also playing a considerable role with our health professionals in the fight against the spread of Covid- 19, helping to track and trace infection rates.
The year 2020 has been tough for all South Africans. We have been forced to introspect and, in some cases, recalibrate and change how we do things. The SANDF has not been exempt from this.
We have learnt valuable lessons about deploying troops on such a scale on to the streets of our communities. There is no place in a people’s defence force such as ours for any lack of discipline.
In a similar vein, towards the end of 2019, I commissioned a ministerial task team to look into sexual exploitation and abuse by members of the defence force in areas of deployment externally and internally, as well in the workplace. Almost a year down the line, I look forward to releasing the long- awaited report.
The five- person team has worked tirelessly before, during and after the imposition of the lockdown to both investigate this phenomenon and suggest remedies to ensure that we eradicate this scourge, irrespective of where or how it occurs in our armed forces.
The SANDF is a national asset that faithfully represents the society it serves in every regard. It is not always appreciated as such by the people of our country, but it should be. The men and women who serve in it continually go above and beyond what is expected of anyone else, to serve and to protect the people of this country, and they do so willingly, with discipline and dedication.
When the commander- in- chief ordered the entire SANDF to be placed in readiness on March 26, there was not a moment’s hesitation. Vast sections of our people answered the call and we were humbled by the response, including from our reserve force members. In addition, the number of civilians who volunteered when we asked for those with specialist skills to come forward was overwhelming.
Our own involvement in combating the virus began even earlier when we were asked to assist with the repatriation of South African nationals from Wuhan in China, the original epicentre of the contagion. This logistically challenging operation on March 10 – refuelling in the Philippines, uplifting our nationals and returning with them straight to a specially established quarantine site for 21 days – was a resounding success that set the tone for what the SANDF would then be called on to perform over the next six months.
Beyond the Wuhan operation, we have carried out a number of missions in accordance with our mandate in support of our people against Covid19, also intervening to ensure we combated the pandemic through our military and health professionals.
I am immensely proud of our members who have served their country during this time.
I salute them for their professionalism and their commitment to duty during a period in world history in which the only recognisable landmarks were fear and uncertainty.