Africa-Press – South-Africa. In a situation of war or external aggression, South Africa will not have its own defence industry for weapons, prime-mission equipment and ammunition modernisation and manufacturing.
This is largely due to the massive budget cuts the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has implemented.
On Wednesday, SANDF officials briefed Parliament’s defence committee on their 2023/24 annual performance plan and budget.
They spoke of the reduction in the Department of Defence’s (DOD) special defence account (SDA).
“In future, the DOD may be required to make use of external defence industries at a huge cost. In a situation of war or external aggression, South Africa will not have its own defence industry for weapon, prime-mission equipment and ammunition modernisation and manufacturing,” their presentation read.
Earlier this month, Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence reported that the SANDF’s level of defence readiness, including its conventional and secondary military roles, was deteriorating and that it was in urgent need of redress to prevent a loss of capabilities and conventional obsolescence.
The committee noted that a combination of maintenance constraints and a lack of investment in new prime mission equipment directly impacted the force’s readiness.
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