Our defence force must always be ready to protect, despite budget shortfalls
But a dedicated disaster management arm would do an even better job
● Reported incidents of unlawful acts by members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) since its deployment in support of the police to deal with the coronavirus are regrettable. They have easily distracted from the overwhelmingly vital role played by the military in the fight against Covid-19 and the enormous value of this deployment to the country. The commander-in-chief, President Cyril Ramaphosa, ordered the troops to “go to our people and give them hope” because this is a grim moment indeed.
Maybe I should also say that I am not referring to the creative ways some soldiers devised to remove from the streets delinquent residents who were wilfully undermining the lockdown regulations.
The law-enforcement role of the SANDF alongside the police in the fight against the coronavirus pestilence is but one element of a much bigger and more elaborate campaign undertaken by the defence force in the recent period.
In the broader scheme of things, I believe disaster management and the efficiency of government to respond to crisis moments will be spoken of in terms of before Covid-19 and postCovid-19 practices, not only in SA but the world over. Intrinsically linked to this will be a need for a re-look at the resourcing of SA’s defence function.
The order to deploy could not have come at a more difficult moment for the defence force. The financial woes of the defence department are common knowledge. But that’s a subject for another day.
Firstly, it will help to remind ourselves that the SANDF consists of four arms of service: the army (the landward force), the air force, the navy and the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS — the medical wing). In this emergency, all the arms of service of the defence force are, without exception, deployed or on standby.
Starting with the army: more than three battalions of troops are on the ground in all nine provinces, enforcing the regulations and ensuring the restriction of movement in communities. The army deployment has included the tightening of border security to limit cross-boundary movement. Over and above these activities, the army is also deploying its water purification and bottling system to alleviate water shortages. Defence intelligence is guiding these activities.
The air force is deployed to expedite quickreaction force deployment and any air-freight emergencies in support of medical services.
The navy has put on standby an offshore patrol vessel capability for humanitarian aid in Simon’s Town and Durban. It has also provided standby logistics support capability between our seaports.
The SAMHS is providing operational medical support to the department of health in the form of different categories of health workers, as it has done in the management of the Polokwane quarantine facility where the students from Wuhan, China, were placed under observation. It is responsible for the disinfection and decontamination of facilities and mobile platforms exposed to possible viral contamination and its ambulances are on standby.
The defence logistics division is there to ensure that reserve medical supplies are maintained according to SAMHS norms, and to make available deployable camp infrastructure systems for any eventuality. The logistics division is responsible for preparing military units to be utilised as isolation and quarantine sites.
The enormity of the resources deployed by the military, both personnel and material, in defence of “the life of the nation”, is unfortunately overshadowed by the sensational focus placed on the “skop, skiet en donder” indiscretions of a few troopers on the ground.
As a people, we are blessed to inhabit a country that is not prone to natural disasters. SA, unlike many around the world, does not lie along the Earth’s fault lines. Nor is it in a region prone to extreme climatic phenomena. However, we have witnessed an increased frequency of extreme climatic conditions, of cyclones in neighbouring countries, and tornados, veld fires and flooding in parts of our country that never experienced them before. Extreme drought conditions have hit a few unfamiliar places around the country. There is growing anxiety that this is likely to increase on account of the effects of global warming.
In countries that are prone to national disasters, it is the norm that disaster management as a government function is anchored in their military establishments. Disaster management has dedicated arms of service with troops prepared over and above their military proficiency, equipped with systems and technologies relevant to disaster requirements.
The collateral utilisation of the military to assist in battling disasters is convenient and makes a significant difference. However, performed as a side issue, disaster management will always be a task that the military comes into justifiably illprepared. A dedicated arm would contribute towards professional and efficient interventions.
It is common knowledge that SA’s defence budget stands at a mere 0.93% of GDP, way below the global average of 2%, and of the Southern African Development Community region. These are not just statistics. The figures speak to the untenable state of affairs in our defence establishment as commented upon many a time by the minister of defence and members of the parliamentary portfolio committee on defence.
This threat is a result of our sustained political programme over the past 25 years to prioritise the socio-economic upliftment of SA’s previously neglected black populace, correctly so. However, the grim economic forecast of what lies ahead tells us that there is never an ideal moment to take out guarantees for the protection of the millions of lives in our communities, which the state is responsible for. Today it is Covid-19, tomorrow is another ambush. But the lives of our citizens, as the constitution enjoins us, must be protected at all times, and the SANDF must at all times be fit for purpose.