{"id":105191,"date":"2025-02-25T18:50:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general"},"modified":"2025-02-27T23:46:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T21:46:23","slug":"south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general","title":{"rendered":"South African Army Has Been Turned Into A Mickey Mouse Force, Says A Top General"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Lieutenant-General Peter Ntshavheni Maphaha has criticised the country\u2019s politicians for turning the military into a \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d force due to chronic underfunding.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the funeral of Staff Sergeant Ishmael Molahlehi in the Free State over the weekend, Maphaha warned the government that the country\u2019s borders were inadequately protected, leaving many vulnerable. He said (via IOL):<\/p>\n

South African borders are porous because you, the politicians, have decided you want a Mickey Mouse defence force.<\/p>\n

The term \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d is often used informally to describe something as trivial, insignificant, or amateurish. For instance, referring to a project as \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d suggests that it is poorly organised or lacks seriousness.<\/p>\n

Lt-Gen. Maphaha also asserted that South Africa is regarded as a \u201cbig brother\u201d in Africa, owing to its global standing and leadership role in both economic and geopolitical matters on the continent. He said:<\/p>\n

You cannot be a big brother if you are unable to wield a stick that will make people afraid.<\/p>\n

His sharp remarks underscore the challenges the military faces both domestically and internationally, especially as the SANDF grapples with the tragic loss of 14 soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).<\/p>\n

Maphaha also said that the SANDF\u2019s primary duty is to protect and defend the country. He said a nation\u2019s security reflects its character, much like the protection a home provides to its inhabitants. Said Lt-Gen. Maphaha:<\/p>\n

What we give to the SANDF should symbolise that. How many of you will build an expensive and beautiful house and not fence it and protect it? I don\u2019t think any of you will do that.<\/p>\n

He urged politicians to recognize the importance of properly equipping the troops with the necessary resources to effectively protect the country.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Lieutenant-General Peter Ntshavheni Maphaha has criticised the country\u2019s politicians for turning the military into a \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d force due to chronic underfunding. Speaking at the funeral of Staff Sergeant Ishmael Molahlehi in the Free State over the weekend, Maphaha warned the government that the country\u2019s borders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":105190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[18027,5212,18028,17331,19],"class_list":["post-105191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-mickey-mouse","tag-sandf","tag-south-african-military","tag-south-african-soldiers","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth African Army Has Been Turned Into A Mickey Mouse Force, Says A Top General - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Lieutenant-General Peter Ntshavheni Maphaha has criticised the country\u2019s po ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South African Army Has Been Turned Into A Mickey Mouse Force, Says A Top General\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Lieutenant-General Peter Ntshavheni Maphaha has criticised the country\u2019s po ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-25T16:50:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-27T21:46:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/sm_1740499704.166135.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"863\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"777\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"South African Army Has Been Turned Into A Mickey Mouse Force, Says A Top General\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-25T16:50:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-27T21:46:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general\"},\"wordCount\":324,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2025\/02\/sm_1740499704.166135.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Mickey Mouse\",\"SANDF\",\"South African Military\",\"South African Soldiers\",\"Zimbabwe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/south-african-army-has-been-turned-into-a-mickey-mouse-force-says-a-top-general\",\"name\":\"South African Army Has Been Turned Into A Mickey Mouse Force, Says A Top General - 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